Now in my senior year, I find everything very bittersweet. Mainly because I know a part of my life is coming to a close. Sometimes it is hard not to feel like that the whole world is weighing down on your shoulders. The world definitely falls on your shoulders, especially around senior year. Everyone keeps asking you, "What are you doing after you graduate?"

We always don't have the perfect answer to that question and after a while, I am sure people get tired of that same question. The people around us put so much pressure on ourselves to figure out our lives after that they forget that nothing has to be decided right away. It's okay not to know. It's fine not to have a set plan after college. Not knowing what to do doesn't mean you are failing at life, but that you are taking the time to find yourself.

I realize that some decisions are going to fall on me. At the end of the day, my parents can help me with planning my future but they can't necessarily force me in the direction they want. Just because you are not going straight to grad school after college doesn't mean it's the end of the world. There is a stigma around waiting and that if one doesn't go straight to grad school, they might not want to go back. Someone has to believe in me that I will actually want to go back instead of telling me straight away that I won't.

I look at my friends that have graduated and of course not everybody is in the same spot. People don't realize that this fine. Of course, we want what is best for our family and friends. Maybe you have to see that we want the best for ourselves also.

I have an idea of what I want to do after college. I love books. I love the idea of teaching young children to be passionate about reading. When I tell people that, they jump to the fact that I might want to be a teacher. I honestly don't know. Just because I am English major doesn't mean I want to be a teacher. There are so many other jobs that I can do to and I could never be limited to one.

When the class of 2017 graduates this spring we all are stepping into the " real" world. At this point, we are supposed to have our life figured out in a way. Graduating never means that I stop growing and exploring. I'm still young there is still so much for me to grasp. There is so much time for to figure out what to do. We think that we don't have time, that we have to decide right now. As people, we are constantly changing. The way I see the world is going to change.

I have to realize that my future is in my hands. My family and peers can only lead me so much. This decision is on me. You should trust me that I want the best for my future. I want the best for myself. I might not do everything the way you want to, but I'll be happy.

This is my future to decide.