I remember at the end of my freshman year of high school, my geometry teacher read us “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss. Once the story came to a close, she went around the class asking each student, “Where are the places you’ll go?” When she arrived at my desk and asked the question, my answer was a blank stare. Where are the places I’ll go? It hit me that up until that moment, I hadn’t thought one ounce about my future. I became petrified, scared beyond my wits. Where will I end up? Where are the places I’ll go? I was determined to find out.

During my sophomore year, I was more focused than ever to find my path, my route in life. I tried everything from baking (which ended up in kitchen explosions), to mock trial (which didn’t take off due to lack of participation), to monologue competitions (which were canceled), anything you could imagine a high school student could fit into her schedule. I didn’t find my niche until I found myself in the most foreign place of all: writer’s workshop. I was struggling in sophomore Pre-AP English due to my poor grades on papers. I always had my ideas, but just never knew how to word them in a way that made my work sound intelligent. My papers always sounded sloppy, kind of like ideas thrown together but not fully processed. So I swallowed my pride and attended the writers' workshop my teacher recommended. Little did I know that workshop would help me find my path. My teacher helped me figure out how to process my thoughts and put together a well-constructed sentence, which then turned into a well-constructed paragraph, which morphed into a well-constructed paper. She helped me find my writing style; she taught me how to reach out to an audience and grab their attention. Betty Peltier showed me I wanted to be a writer.

My sophomore year consisted of me finding the pieces of the puzzle, but my junior year consisted of me putting the puzzle together. I learned lessons, some harder than others, and I figured out who is really there for me when I need them most. I made some friends, I lost some friends. Some relationships grew stronger, and some were damaged beyond repair. My writing flourished as I started publishing journals to my VSCO account, and that helped me find my path more than anything in this world. So I look back now and ask myself, “Where are the places I’ll go?” Well, I now have more than just a blank stare for an answer.

I see myself graduating college and traveling. I see myself spending a year living in Italy, learning the culture and experiencing their lifestyle. I see myself spending time in France, Germany and Greece, and taking a piece of each home with me. I see myself ending up in a big city like New York or Chicago, writing as a columnist for a newspaper or an editor of a magazine. I’m so proud of myself for coming this far in my quest to discover the places I’ll go, but that doesn’t mean things cannot change, or that everything is set in stone. I am completely ready for any curveball life tries to throw at me, and I might be even more proud of myself for just that, being able to handle whatever is thrown at me. Because let’s face it, anything can happen in this crazy world and life can take us anywhere—it all depends on us and how we respond.

So my advice to you: never deny an opportunity. I found myself in the place I least expected and I was so very close to passing on that writers’ workshop that helped me. If anything ever presents itself, take it, do it—never pass it up. Even if you feel you’ve found yourself and what you’re meant to do, don’t shut any doors that could lead to greatness because that could lead you to your demise.