How Did I Get Here?

Thinking about how I got to where I am today is actually a little terrifying. Not because of how hard I had to work to get here, but because I know I could have ended up in a place I didn't really want to be.

My freshman year of college at UACCB was exciting, at first. I was going to be a physical therapist and make a lot of money while I was at it. After all, why else would I go into the medical profession? I had never enjoyed a single science class in my life. In fact, I hated science, but I could suffer through a few years of terrible classes to make that kind of money.

As it turns out, I couldn't. My grades were in the toilet. They didn't suffer because of my lack of ability to get the job done, and they certainly didn't suffer because of the lack of support from my family. My grades were in the toilet because I allowed them to be. I didn't care what my grades were in my science classes because, to be honest, they just didn't matter to me.

I remember the very first semester I had without a single English class. It was ALL science. I was a sophomore, and up until that point, I had at least a literature class, something to keep me entertained. Classes like that always kept me entertained. I was the only senior in my high school AP English class to not only complete her final paper, but do so by exceeding the page requirement by ten pages and have a blast doing it. I can remember watching my English teacher everyday and thinking that she must be one happy lady. She had the best job in the world. She got read some of the coolest stuff and teach it to us...FOR A LIVING!! However, that wasn't for me. No.I was going to bring home the bacon, hopefully working in a clinic where I could make six figures.

That first semester of my sophomore year was brutal. I was bored stiff, and I had two very unhappy parents when it was time for grades to come out. Needless to say, there were a lot of tears. I can remember thinking that if I had classes I enjoyed, such as a literature class or a class where I could at least write a paper, my grades would be outstanding. I told this to my very loving boyfriend, and I remember him saying to me, "Well then why don't you just take them?" This seemed simple enough, but no way. I couldn't do that. There was no room and certainly no time to change my major. The medical field was where I wanted to be.

Wait a second...no it wasn't. The path I had chosen was not chosen because of my passion for biology or calling to help those who are in need of my medical expertise. I chose that path because I wanted to make a lot of money and have things that all of my friends would be jealous of, completely ignoring my passion for knowledge, literature, and the desire to prepare young ones for their future, just as my English teacher did for me when she showed me the difficult tasks I was able to accomplish. I wanted to do that for someone.

I woke up. I realized that continuing on the path I was on meant being in a place I didn't truly want to be, and suddenly, making all of the money in the world didn't matter anymore. Telling my parents was the hardest part. I feared they would be disappointed in my decision, but I guess that in my haze I had forgotten how loving and supporting my family really is.

The day I decided to change my major was the day I decided to tour Lyon College. I had previously had my eyes set on ASU, but I knew that Lyon College was the better place to get an English degree. After touring and talking to a few professors, there was no question. I wanted to be a Lyon graduate, and though it has been a long road filled with sleepless nights, thousands of papers, and hundreds of lesson plans, I'm only nine months from being just that.