After spending so much of her childhood surrounded by the support of her family, senior Molly Dixon is ready to embark on the next chapter of her life.

Growing up in close proximity to some of her greatest influences, Molly’s life has been greatly impacted by her family. 

“I guess I’m really close with my family, which is cool,” Molly said. “Almost all of my family lives in Michigan. That’s impacted my life a lot because I’m able to see my family so often, and, in my opinion, they are all really good people, so I have strong morals.”

Her grandparents along with her immediate family have helped to establish expectations and examples without pushing Molly exorbitantly hard. 

“From a young age, I would say I was pushed an okay amount,” Molly said. “I wouldn’t say that they pushed me, but they let me grow on my own which I really appreciated. I pushed myself, and they would give me their support, of course, but I think it’s been a very interesting dynamic in my family.”

As Molly discusses her interesting family dynamic, it’s easy to understand where this sense of independence and work ethic is rooted. 

As the youngest of four children, Molly assumes her place in the order as number four—but she doesn’t necessarily act as a stereotypical youngest. 

“At first, I would say I was your typical youngest child,” Molly said. “I received a lot of attention, but since my siblings are a lot older than me and they left for college, it was just me and my brother. I would say I’m not the typical youngest child anymore.”

Two of Molly’s siblings study at MSU. However, one of her brothers is challenged with a learning disability, and this is where she believes her parents’ interesting take on education arises from. 

“My brother who is older than me actually has a learning disability,” Molly said, “so there’s a lot of variety in my life about academics after having two children who really excelled academically and then having my brother who struggled a bit more.”

Both of Molly’s parents work as teachers, so education is important in Molly’s life. As her senior year progresses, Molly is not completely sure what major she will be pursuing, but she knows her academic career will continue at Western.

“Both of my parents went there,” Molly said, “but that actually wasn’t the main decision in choosing Western. I went to a couple of campuses like U of M and Michigan State, and they were a bit too big for me. The environment didn’t seem as much of a close community as Western seemed. I liked that it was a bit smaller but still had a lot to offer.”

Molly is looking forward to finding an array of clubs that fit her liking, as well as continuing to form deep connections and expand her circle in the new environment. 

While Molly has loved living close and spending her childhood with such influence from her family, she is excited to experience something new. 

“I think getting away from home [is what I am most excited for],” Molly said. “I love being close to my family, and I plan on visiting a lot, but I feel that it’s kept me pretty sheltered, so I’m excited to get out of that and see who I can be on my own.”

Leaving is bittersweet, however. 

“I think I’ll definitely miss seeing my parents and my high school friends every day,” Molly said. “I love everyone in my life right now, and I think that I have some incredible people in my circle. Obviously, I can’t take them all with me to Western, but I think I’ll still stay in contact with them, it’s just the matter of not seeing them in person every day.”

Reinventing one’s life holds some fear and anticipation; however, with her family’s support and her ambition and adoration for learning, Molly is setting foot on a promising path. She strives to continue life as she has.

“I think it has made me a lot stronger in my bonds that I form with people,” Molly said. “All the bonds that I have growing up have been very strong and close knit. When I let people into my life, I plan on letting them in for a long time. I don’t think I really form relationships that are surface level because of that.”