Life is made up of small decisions that equal one big picture. From choosing who to sit with at lunch to what school you will attend next, your decisions today will decide your future. In the spring of my eighth grade year of grade school, I watched as all my classmates chose schools to carry on family legacy. I couldn’t help but feel like my decision to attend an all girls high school was a bad choice. I endured snarky comments from classmates who did not understand how my choice was going to lead to a strong future.

I never knew what it was like to walk into a school with just girls. I never knew how the lack of male presence would raise my confidence and build long lasting friendships. Most importantly, attending an all girls high school taught me just how powerful women can be. I sat amongst future doctors, lawyers, artists, and engineers at lunch as we dreamed of what our lives would be like in the future. Our teachers stressed the importance of authenticity and intelligence as we approached the real world. They taught us how powerful women can truly be as some of my classmates would endure male dominated career fields.

As we gratefully exited the awkward freshman year of high school, we soon realized that intelligence was the new beautiful. Our role models encompassed strong women such as Malala and Emma Watson. To us, we had the ability to accomplish anything we put our minds to. We dreamt of receiving our degrees which would lead to complicated jobs that would test our limits.

In adventuring to college, I realized how important these philosophies are in my every day life. From the classroom to my social life, confidence is key in the way that I act. I have learned to stay true to my beliefs and thoughts, however, being sure to remain open to other’s views. Sharing an in depth

conversation with someone reaches farther than talking about fickle matters of life. Therefore, beauty is in the way you carry yourself. So never be afraid to hold your head up high and stand up for what you believe in. Life is about making your own path instead of letting people walk all over you.