College College College College College...

It’s all everyone would talk about, it became the norm, even to this day, and it still hasn’t changed.

I didn’t go to college, and I don’t know if I ever will.

I look back on the last four years, grateful for the decisions I’ve made. As a 22 year old, I can proudly say that I have chased after my dreams, explored the world, and lived in places that most people wouldn’t. I can proudly say that I didn’t sit in a classroom for the last four years but instead trekked through the Himalayas for nine days exploring the beauty, and touching the lives who lived near the mountains. I can proudly say that I surfed some crazy waves and made it out alive, even though it was shark infested water. I can proudly say that I bought an 800 dollar car that didn’t have any door handles but was able to drive it around on the most beautiful island in the world. I can proudly say that I have jumped off tall cliffs, swam in caves, slept on the ground in the woods, came face to face with a python, rode an elephant in Nepal, and picked my own fruit for breakfast. I can proudly say that I’ve experienced many different cultures and have tasted many different kinds of food. Most importantly, I can proudly say that I have loved on people that most would call the unlovable and have seen many lives transformed.

I wouldn’t trade these moments for the world. I most certainly wouldn’t trade the memories of helping people in need, and bringing a smile to the faces of the ones most broken. I am certainly glad that I was on the playing field living life as a social worker and not in a classroom- but experiencing everything firsthand. I am proud of myself. I am proud that I didn’t settle with the comfortable at a university, but that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do something that many people wouldn’t. I am proud of myself for sticking with my gut, going after my dreams and not listening to the ones who thought I was crazy.

Not everyone needs to go to college, and not everyone needs to get a degree. I believe that life opens up the doors for our opportunities, and if we don’t pursue or walk through these doors, we will never get to where we are destined to be. College may get you a degree, but it doesn’t necessarily get you your dream job. I encourage you to chase after your dreams, even if it seems impossible or uncomfortable. I encourage you to take that risk, live a little, especially if you are young. Life doesn’t just happen to you, you have to make it happen. I promise you that life will get you where you need to be, and if you chase after everything that is right in front of you, your dream job will be right around the corner.