I am, basically, just the same as any other teen who has lived in Santa Fe her entire life — or really, any teen who has lived in any small to moderately sized town her whole life. I mean that in the sense that we all seem to want to go somewhere, see something, do something outside of the borders of our town.

It's not that we don't love where we grew up. I love Santa Fe (its art on every corner, its culture and history, its green chile) but when you are raised somewhere without moving more than a block down the street, you tend to get pretty curious about the outside world and anxious to discover it for yourself. I am absolutely no exception to that rule.

And while being restless can have its downfalls, I've learned it can also have some pretty amazing upsides, ones that encourage you to do the things you never thought were possible. It encouraged me, after all, to aim for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship despite some not-so-sunny-looking odds.

This specific scholarship is designed for high-school seniors with an interest in journalism who have contributed to their community as "free spirits" and includes a $1,000 college scholarship as well as a weeklong trip to the nation's capital to explore a new world of reporting.

One thing stood between me and the trip: the scholarship committee would choose only one person per state, which made me very nervous. In fact, I found out it made student journalists all over the country incredibly nervous, yet that much more excited when we snagged the scholarship and trip.

In March, I went to represent New Mexico in Washington, D.C., only to realize that the challenges were far from over. I still faced leaving my home to go across the country alone. I knew no one, which was far harder than I dreamed it would be. My most daunting mission, however, was navigating my way through the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (an airport as large as a small planet) in one hour to catch my next flight. Intimidating as it was, the travel alone was probably one of the best (and most humbling) learning experiences that I've ever had. I figured out I could do it.

Once in Washington, I met so many new faces from all over the nation, teens who had the same kinds of big dreams that I had as well as the same kind of drive and experiences. I also met people who had nothing in common with me and more sophisticated teens who have traveled the world — both of which were beneficial.

I heard from everyone from the creator of Google News to a foreign correspondent from USA Today and saw everything from the Lincoln Memorial to NBC Studios (to Ben's Chili Bowl, which was, oddly, just as educational). The trip was one that inspired and challenged me.

But let's not make this all about me. All I did was fill out an application the best I could, aim for something I really wanted and hoped and prayed for the best.

Amazing outcomes are waiting if you start to think big and aim high — even if your dream seems out of reach. While we are young and not tied down is the time to set sail (whether literally or not) and seize every opportunity that comes our way. We, being born in a nation of opportunity, can have even more experiences than the "average teen." Experiences are out there waiting for us. Let's go find them.

Rebecca Gonzales graduates from Capital High School on June 5 and will be attending The University of New Mexico this fall.