Welcome to my old blog doing new things. I've been planning for a while now to begin recording my adventures at Harvard via my blog, and this is the first installment. If you are interested in following Spencer's and my experiences in Massachusetts, then this will be the place to look. I have not yet decided how often I will post. But I have decided that I will create a hashtag (like my friend Megan did: #MegGoesToOxford) called #NatalieGoesToHarvard. Imitation is the sincerest form of praise? :) I will make sure to post on Facebook every time I add an installment and will tag everything with my hashtag. So here goes! Welcome to the inaugural post on Spencer's and my adventures at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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So this is how I feel right now . . .
. . . . . because I have been accepted to Harvard Divinity School, making me the first woman in my entire family to go to graduate school.
Many of you looking at this campaign probably know me, but if you don't, then it is nice to meet you. My name is Natalie Cherie Campbell, and I was recently accepted to attend Harvard Divinity School beginning Fall 2016 in pursuit of a Master of Theological Studies degree.
I'm from a small city in Idaho called Twin Falls and am the second oldest of six children. Growing up, my grandpa was a university professor, my mother was a preschool teacher, and my father and aunt were high school teachers. Of my cousins and siblings, several more family members have become teachers since then. Needless to say, education and the standard of obtaining a bachelor's degree has always been thoroughly supported and promoted in my home.
Perhaps because of this family focus, my precociousness, or both, I've always wanted a bachelor's degree and a master's degree and Ph.D. Upon entering my BA program I learned of the quintessential renaissance man and realized that what I really wanted to be was a renaissance woman. But even with my aspirations and my family's background in education, it only occurred to me a year ago that I might actually be able to attend graduate school. It was even more recently that I realized that the fulfillment of this goal will make me the first woman in my family and extended family to attend graduate school and receive a master's degree. 
With these realizations in mind, I can't help but be stunned and deeply grateful that I have been chosen to study women's studies, literature, and religion at Harvard Divinity School. I've been awarded a grant from Harvard Divinity School amounting to $13,704 for my first year. I also expect to take out student loans, although that amount is not yet determined. My husband, Spencer, and I will also both be working to offset these costs. We are moving to Boston, Massachusetts in August and classes will start August 25. Housing is going to be nuts since it is almost $2,000 a month to live in Boston. And schooling will be financially thrilling since it is around $60,000 a year. Yikes! 
But even though the finances are daunting, things are working out. Doors are opening and adventures are beginning. (More on things working out in Chapter Two.)
So before more occurs, I figured I would take some time to thank all those who have supported me in this endeavor. When choosing whether or not to apply to Harvard, I felt that it would be pointless—I mean, how could I ever get in. But my husband told me to never close my own doors of opportunity, so I applied. I've spent the past year working, studying, testing, and applying to graduate schools, and I have been amazed at the confidence and support that I've received from every person I've met. Some people have offered me words of encouragement, advice, willingness to talk through the application process. Some people have offered financial support, drilled GRE words with me, written references, offered writing examples of personal statements, or made me meals while I've studied. No matter how the help has come, I have always felt and continue to feel deeply grateful for those who have invested their time, money, and love in my well-being and success. Thank you.
So here's to going to Harvard (even though I'm wearing my Oxford sweatshirt). The expenses are daunting, yes. We don't know many people in Massachusetts, yes. This is an immense leap of faith, yes. But this is one door I aim to walk through. Thank you to all those who have helped me make this opportunity a continuing reality.
I will always be deeply stunned and moved to have been given the opportunity to study at Harvard. I hope that I will be able to better the lives of women by giving them hope, opportunity, and a place to understand themselves within religion and literature.
