In second grade, I had to write a book about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote about being an acrobat in the circus, of course. I also wrote about my love for basketball – a sport I had never actually taken part in except for a few days of playing H.O.R.S.E in elementary school gym class. I wrote about everything that I could do and everything that I would do.

In eighth grade, I was at the top of the food chain. I had made it so far and done so much in my life. I’d been on vacations to beautiful places. I went water tubing in incredible crystal clear lakes filled with wildlife! (I flew off and burned my arm on the tube.) I went snowboarding on the highest mountain and could see the entire world from the very top! (I ended up getting a concussion about five seconds after going down that mountain.) I had experienced it all! And when people asked me what classes I wanted to take in high school, oh, I had my answers well prepared! After all, the classes you take in high school help get you ready for what you’re going to major in during college.

In my junior year of high school, I began looking at colleges. There were so many options! Did I want to go to a big or small school? Did I want to be close to home or as far away as possible? I had to make the perfect choice. Where would I spend four years of my life? What would I learn there? I had to know the answers to these questions! If I made the wrong choice, everything I had done up until that point would have been for nothing.

In my senior year, I decided on a college. I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to major in. I chose a school eight hours away from everything that I grew up with, knowing only my roommate – whom I met through Facebook. This time, when people asked me what I wanted to do, I had answers.

In my first semester of college, I was so excited to start my new life that I forgot to focus on the reasons I was really at school. I realized that I was unsure with my choice of my major and what I wanted to do with it. I decided to consider different classes I could take and see my options, but nothing seemed to fit. I questioned whether I should switch into a different program of study completely, or if I even had what it took.

I’m in my second semester of college. I changed my major and I am more excited than ever to see what my new opportunities have to offer me. I am constantly looking toward the future and what I can do to gain experience in the “real world.” When people ask me what I want to do when I grow up, I may not have all the answers. But I’m starting to write a new book and I’m ready to see what will be on the next page.