Life is scary. It is terrifying knowing that your parents, friends, and family want you to be successful, and it’s even more frightening to know that they have big dreams for you.

But what if your dreams don’t match up to the ones they have for you?

It happens all the time, all around us. Parents want their kids to be doctors, but the kids want to work in Business, for example, was the situation with a friend that I attended community college with.

She wanted to go into Corporate Law, but her mother really wanted her to be a brain surgeon. Graduation was creeping closer and she had plans of going to a big university but hadn’t told her parents.

On the day of graduation, she finally told her parents what her plans were and her mom teared up and said that she couldn’t be more proud of her. Her father told her that they were proud of her no matter what she wanted to do with her life because he knew she would be successful.

The point in the story of my friend is to tell you that it’s okay to have a different dream than what your parents fantasize for you. They don’t mean any harm by it, parents dream big for their children, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out because the child is passionate about something else, and that’s okay.

Briefly, while I was in high school, my mom and dad wanted me to be a veterinarian because I was in technical school to get my Certified Veterinary Assistant license. After high school and during community college, my plans changed because I had fallen in love with writing all over again and I decided that telling stories was what I was supposed to do.

So, I took classes at community college that were involved with writing, finished my associate’s degree and then transferred to Lindenwood where I am currently in my second-to-last semester for my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism!

Sure, my parents were a little disappointed when my mind changed about going to veterinarian school, but once they saw how happy I was being a journalism major, that all changed.

I’m now a published reporter and I have so many amazing opportunities and have met so many people on campus who have inspired and supported me in my dreams.

My advice to anyone out there who is scared to tell their parents, friends or peers that their dreams are different from what was envisioned for them - don’t be afraid to tell them! Students change their minds all the time, that’s why so many of us go in as undecided or change our majors two or three times!

You’ll find what you’re passionate about and you’ll be great at it, whatever it is that you decide to pursue.

If your friends, family, and peers love and support you as much as they say they do, they will be there to support you every step of the way.