I come to you as a rising junior in college, and as a much more complacent student than I once was.

When I started my freshman year of college, I was attending a private university in a small town. Going into this new chapter of my life, I really wasn't sure of what I should study. I had a lot in mind but didn't think it through very clearly. In the end, because my family works in this industry, I chose Business Administration as my major. I also did (and still do) love Psychology so I made that my minor.

Though these decisions weren't set in stone and I was fresh out of high school, I had a career in mind that I've been wanting to pursue since my elementary school years. That career was a veterinarian.

I have the strongest passion for animals, and any one of my friends or family can vouch for me. I fall in love with dogs, cats and small animals like hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, etc. I've owned dogs since I was about 3 years old and have grown up alongside animals for my entire life. There's obviously a part of me that wants to do something with animals very much. Preferably helping them to stay healthy and live their best lives.

I decided after switching my major twice already that I was going to finally pursue this passion I had gleaming inside of me. Switching over to Biology, I began my journey.

Ready to study my butt off and do my best work, I dove right into my sophomore year of college at a new university, and with completely new faces and a new environment. Early on though, I began to notice that I was struggling. Nothing out of the ordinary, these classes were science courses and I had never had a strength for science or math.

But the struggling overcame me, and I decided that I'd need to really study and quiz myself for these exams if I wanted to even pass the classes. Once again, nothing new, I just figured that I needed to really buckle down.

As I continued to go about my studies, my science classes were getting more and more difficult for me to keep my head above water in. I was also (and still am) working a part-time job, so that also limited my time in the evenings to study.

Eventually, I made the decision that I couldn't continue to study biology. The major was becoming too difficult for me very early on, and if that was how the entire rest of my college years were going to be, there wasn't any reason for me to continue to pay for classes that I wasn't going to pass.

Giving up my dream of becoming a veterinarian shattered my heart. I had little to no idea what I was going to change my major to, nor did I know what it is that I'm even good at or what department I strive in the most. And then it hit me.

It kind of hit me like a wall. All throughout my schooling years, I had blatantly ignored how talented I am at writing. It's where all of my strength lies. I have a way with words and poetry and was starting to see the picture more lively. I'd chosen to study Journalism.

Although this was not ultimately my first choice, I've thought about it and stuck with the decision for some time now; but in the end, I decided that this is what I was destined to do with myself. Writing, editing, rhetoric and proper spelling and grammar are what revolve around me. Becoming a writer or chief editor for a popular newspaper or magazine is what my new career goal is, and I can't wait to put it into play this fall.

There still is and will always be resentment toward giving up what I've dreamt of doing. But luckily for me, there are things that I can do where I can still be interacting with animals and smiling as much as I still do being around them.

Next to studying and working part-time, I've decided that with the free time that I have, I'm going to volunteer my time at a local animal shelter, helping to find animals homes before being euthanized (primarily, instead of being euthanized). I have pets at home to take care of which I find great joy in doing as well.

Even though I can't become a veterinarian, I can still do what I love. And because of my drastic decisions that I've made, I am where I am today. A happy college student who is overly excited about studying while still following a passion.

Here's to the future.

Photo by Octavian Rosca