It was one line from an itinerary of an upcoming field trip to Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. And no place proved more prescient than those Capitol steps. Deep in my heart, I was certain that one day I’d be living in Columbia as a college student. Illustration Ian Berry/CNNThe cosmos and crimeThe afternoon stops solidified the revelation I felt on the State House steps. For me, it was a mere 60-mile, in-state field trip – culminating with a Boxed Lunch on the Capitol Steps – that proved to be my date with destiny.

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Persons: I’d, Columbia –, That’s, Robert Mills, Ian Berry, Mills, disharmony, Gibbes, Alex Murdaugh, –, Douglas, Forrest Brown Organizations: CNN, Columbia, University of South Carolina, Belk, Kmart, CNN Travel, Capitol, State House, State, USC, Mills, South, South Carolina Law, Division, University of South, Presbyterian Student Center, CNN Digital Locations: Columbia, South Carolina, New York City, London, Western, University of South Carolina