When you're in high school, and you feel uncertain about what to choose as your intended major in college... don't. You can have an idea of what you want to study, and then you begin your classes only to find the area of study that so excited you in high school is less than exciting in college.

It is not uncommon at all to completely abandon every preconceived notion of the major and career path you told all your friends, family, distant relatives, and strangers on the street you planned on following. College is about finding yourself, your character, your style, your passions, your desires in life, and the studies that fascinate and inspire you.

Two years ago, a junior in high school, I would tell every single person who asked me the question, "What are you planning on studying? Do you know where you want to go to school?" that I was pursuing a degree in Psychology, with a focus in Criminal Justice, at the University of Maryland with the intent of one day working as a Criminal Behavioral Analyst. (Yes, that is what they do on "Criminal Minds" only with less action and more paperwork.)

I am now an English Literature and Cultural Studies major, with a minor in International Studies, at the University of Oklahoma with hopes of pursuing a career in publishing and/or wait for it... mission work.

It seems like I jumped a bit across the board, does it not? But listen to my reasoning behind the massive jump, because it was only when I realized what I was passionate about that I began to enjoy and come to terms with the decision.

I love people. If you've ever been around me, then you probably heard me say I don't like people very much, but that's a big, fat lie because my soul loves to be in the company of others. I have a heart for those cast aside or looked down upon by society and a desire to shape their minds to believe their worth and value, despite the pressing values of the industry around us.

My reason for pursuing a degree in Psychology to analyze the thoughts and processes of criminals derived from this desire to reform and redeem what is broken or destructive. I wanted to know the rationale behind the mind of heinous criminals, to know what on earth gave them the idea to commit such acts, so I would understand and then help reshape the psychosis. I wanted to make individual and personal differences, and I wanted to learn to understand and try to process that which is completely foreign to me.

The University of Maryland has the best Psychology program in the United States, so naturally, it was the school I wanted to attend. I have always been independent, so the distance between Texas and Maryland seemed insignificant to me (and even ideal). I was so set on the idea that I threw all notions of attending any other school, or studying any other subject, out of the window.

Though the distance between school and the place I call home posed no challenge to me, my parents were a little less receptive of the idea of their 18-year-old daughter attending a school 1,500 miles away with no nearby family and a very limited amount of street-smarts. They encouraged me to visit schools a little closer to home, and I begrudgingly agreed to apply to the University of Oklahoma.

With the dream of attending UMD dwindling with every discussion of tuition, added expenses, distance, etc., I began to question the very area I intended to study. Why Psychology? I am terribly gullible, which seems less than impressive in a Psychologist, and I couldn't stand up to mean girls in high school, so what made me think I could stand in the presence of a serial killer with confidence? So I began to think about what I was gifted in.

I always loved the English language and performed fairly well in English classes. I was confident in my Spanish-speaking and used my knowledge every chance I was given. I love kids, exclusively Central and South American children, but shied from the thought of being a teacher because of comments I heard my entire life (like, "You'll never make any money teaching or with a liberal arts degree!").

I love to travel. I love to learn. I love knowing I made a difference. So, after numerous conversations, much prayer, and lots of tears, I abandoned my dreams of studying Psychology in Maryland.

I now spend my days speaking the two languages I love, writing essays of every genre, learning about cultures my heart longs to be a part of, drinking lots of coffee, and reading too many books for any student with a social life to possibly keep up with. I am involved on a campus I call home and with a community that serves as my family. I discovered my passions in life, and I am now following the path laid before me.

I altered my course a bit by switching majors from general English to Literature and Cultural Studies and my minor from Spanish to International studies. I published essays, been introduced to authors and professors, and gained experiences I never would have been granted the opportunity as a Psychology major in Maryland.

As for the mission work, I pray to be allowed the opportunity to travel to the Ozark Lakes over the summer, and that I might find the place where my soul finds its purpose. I have been so many places already, and I hope to continue to travel the world in search of that one place I will call home.

The independence I thought would lead me 1,500 miles apart from my parents now finds itself preparing me to live and serve around the globe. I hope to start this journey in the Ozarks and continue to seek out the perfect place for my hands and feet to be put to work and my heart to love those around me perfectly.

That final place, that soul-spot, may be the Ozark Lakes, and my journey end this summer; it may be in Guatemala with the children who speak the language I love; it may be across the world in Kenya and challenge me in ways I could never imagine.

All in all, you do not have to pick one major and one career path right now, my high school seniors (and even my college freshman). You have years to discover your passions, your gifts, and your true desires of what you wish to extract from this life. Your degree does not define you, and there is no shame in having second thoughts about what you want to do with your life.

We are young, and we are given the opportunity, the blessing, to be allowed to continue our education and be granted the time to figure things out. Use these next several months to find the campus you feel welcome and at home on, and grow yourself in the comfort of that sanctuary.