My matriculation began in 2009, when I enrolled at Norfolk State University. My interests at the time involved playing professional football, so with that in mind I decided on NSU. The decision was obviously made with little to no consideration of anything else. Moreover, I was still undecided on the field of major to venture into, so my older brother suggested looking into information technology since I tinkered with computer parts at the time. Plus he mentioned it being a lucrative field and people who chose that major went on to make a lot of money after college. Bearing that information in mind, I was decided and ready for the college world; I knew I was going to play football and my major was going to be I.T. After my application for admission was accepted, my parents and I rode down to Norfolk once move-in day rolled around. Things would of course play out a little differently once we finally arrived on campus. This was the beginning of a really important journey through college.

A few key events has led me to who I am and my current situation today. The first is the result of allowing others to make decisions I could have made myself. Remember my initial intentions to major in I.T. and play football? Forget about that. The first professor we ran into felt it would be helpful for me to become a computer information technology major because it would make a sh*t ton of money, plus he decided that he knew more about what would be best for me. As if the decision was his to make. In hindsight, he was only looking out for my best interests at heart but it would have been best to ask me as well. And for the record, C.I.T. and I.T. are two completely different fields of study. Thinking they were the same, my fate as a computer information technology major was decided upon. Dun dun dun...

The second thing became the lack of focus on my courses as a result of that decision. Having my life picked out for me is like having your mom buy you a pair of new shoes without any input from you about the preference of color or even the size. The point is although a nice gesture she would most certainly get something wrong about your taste in shoes and that means you're most likely left to walk around in shoes that either does not fit properly or shoes that are not in the right color if you are not courageous enough to speak out about it. That is exactly what happened. He was absolutely wrong about the life he thought I needed to lead and I did not speak up about it. The classes were absolutely boring, in addition to the unconventional style of teaching from some of the professors. Needless to say the lack of interest in the subject took a toll on my grades.

This brings me to my last point; having the courage to speak up. Having a voice is such an important convenience we often take for granted. Sometimes the fear of judgement that holds us back from saying how we really feel about a situation, or the thought of not being liked. Whatever the reason, The decision to keep quiet during a moment that begs a voice could be the difference between success and failure. Yes, it is that serious! For example, refusing to speak up about my dislike for the decision made for became the difference in the date I would graduate. In conclusion, For the love of God, make your own decisions, and please speak up!