I came to Augustana College my sophomore year after transferring from SIUC. I had my mind set on becoming a Speech Language Pathologist. I did not have a back up plan whatsoever, but at the same time I was only a sophomore and had much to learn about myself. It wasn’t until my junior year when I wanted to change my future plans. Instead of becoming an SLP, I wanted to become an Autism Specialist. My whole life I have been working with individuals with special needs but growing up with a brother with Autism has made me obsessed with learning more about the disorder and the best ways to effectively treat it. Of course I know you can specialize in Autism when you become a Speech therapist, but I only wanted to focus just on Autism specifically and the get more into research about the neurological aspects of their behaviors, and to focus on improving and creating new and improved intervention techniques in the future. Another reason why I did not choose the path towards becoming a Speech therapist was my GPA. This is something that I have always struggled with. I use to be one of those people who would say that my GPA defines who I am. But as I became more aware, I realized that your GPA can only take you so far, and that your GPA is not everything. Of course it matters for getting into a good post graduate program but it does not relate ton your personality and qualities as a human being. It was something that took me a long time to realize because I would always be in classes where people would be complaining that they got a low A, while I got a low B or even a C on one of the assignments. For example, a lot of jobs out there do look at GPA, but they also look at your experience, your personality, and the will to succeed. If you do not have any experience let alone PASSION in your field, I truly believe you won’t make it, and if you do, not very far because many jobs out their require not only experience, but the will to succeed and actually be passionate about what you are doing. If someone has a low GPA, that does not mean they are “dumb.” If you are willing to improve yourself everyday, never give up, change the lives of others, and make a difference in the world, no matter what path you chose in this life, having these qualities I believe are what truly stand out when someone is looking to hire you or accept you into a post grad program. It’s not all about GPA, there is so much more that goes into it. So study hard, but don’t get attached to the name of your school and a perfect GPA. Because you might get beaten to a job next year by someone who has neither. God bless, and realize that every single day is such an amazing blessing.