Graduating from high school and moving on to college is a big step in a young person's life. Graduating college and finding a job is a difficult step. However, graduating college and picking up to move from good ole Royersford, Pa. to Oklahoma? Well, that's just Earth-shattering.

"The closest Target is an hour away from us," said Class of 2003 Spring-Forder Jennifer Ehling. "I missed Target a lot when I moved here. People are a lot nicer here than they are up north. We're only an hour from the Texas border, so there's a lot of cowboy hats. It really shocked me when I moved here, because I didn't think of Oklahoma as the south. Life is a lot slower here. I feel like back in Royersford, everybody wants it done yesterday. Standing at line in Starbucks, here, no one cares. It's very slow-paced."

Obviously, Ehling's path to the present is an interesting one. After graduating from Spring-Ford, Ehling went off to Eastern University in St. Davids, where she majored in elementary music education.

While there, she had the opportunity to get some experience with high school bands, as well as singing. Little did she know the former would have little to do with her future aspirations, while the latter would make all the difference.

"When I was a freshman in college, I helped Arch Bishop Carroll High School and helped with them and their drum majors - just teaching them what I had learned at Spring-Ford. I gave them a different experience and helped their director and prepared them for competitions," she said. "I also did choir, and toured the Northeast, meeting a lot of people. I think my parents were mad I was singing, because they spent all that money on the flute! But, it made me a better teacher. You have that experience singing. When you teach music, you spend a lot of time singing."

She graduated in 2007. She met her future husband at college and was married by December 2008, taking his last name, Walls.

"We moved to Oklahoma like two days after we got married," she explained. "He's an officer in the Army."

In between that time, Ehling was able to get some experience at West Pottsgrove Elementary, where she saw kindergarten through fifth grade students and simply fell in love.

"While I was there, I realized I loved little kids," Ehling said. "When I graduated high school, I wanted to be a high school band director. When I actually started teaching, I realized I loved little kids. When I moved out here, I decided to do something productive. I figured I'd get my [masters] degree in special education, so that way, if I ever want to go back and work in that setting, I have that background."

In Oklahoma, Ehling said she's done a lot of volunteer work, as well as some part time work at a daycare. However, she has taken some time for family.

"My number one priority has been raising my son, Ethan and supporting my husband's military career," she said. "But, along with working on my masters, I volunteer with my husband's unit and work part time at a daycare. Even though I don't work a full-time job I keep a busy schedule."

Her husband is about to get out of the Army after serving his required four years. The Walls family will make the big move back to Pennsylvania, where they'll look for a home in the Spring-Ford Area School District. Her husband's family is in Maryland, so having both parents close by will be helpful.

They haven't found a house quite yet and will be moving in with Ehling's parents for a few weeks before they make a decision.

Looking back, Ehling was grateful of her time at Spring-Ford and in the Golden Ram Marching Band. She was chosen as drum major when she was only a sophomore, which proved to be a difficult learning experience.

"It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life," she said. "But it was also a privilege and I am blessed to have had to opportunity to be in that position. The experience taught me many lessons that I still apply to my life today. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the unwavering support of my parents and the mentorship of Mr. Eckstine, Mr. Growcott, and Mr. Rhine."

Ehling hopes to go back to teaching elementary music some day. She said she wants to share my love of music with children.