I was born a Clemson Tiger. Amongst the flowers, cards, and balloons that filled the hospital room sat a Clemson football from my grandfather. 
Each birthday, I would receive some sort of Clemson paraphernalia in order to feed my love for the university. When it came time to choose a college, there was no question where I wanted to go.I remember the indescribable feelings I experienced as I held the large, white envelope in my hand. “Tigertown Bound,” was stamped largely across the front in orange. I sat staring at the front of the envelope, stunned. It's not like I wasn’t happy, I just always knew it was going to happen. It had to happen. 

As I stood in the driveway, I stared blankly at the back of my little red sports car. I softly smiled, admiring the white Clemson paw that had been excitedly placed on my car two weeks prior. After receiving my acceptance letter, I had rushed out to the mall and bought a Clemson sticker for my car.  I remembered the way I felt while meticulously placing the sticker on my car, making sure the placement was just right. The car sticker officially solidified the fact that my dream was transforming into a reality. “So it’s really happening.”  

But time had passed, leading me to this unexpected moment. I never expected that I would get into Virginia Tech; nevertheless, get a scholarship there. Suddenly, Clemson didn’t look like such a great deal anymore, especially to my parents.  I mean, how could you turn down a scholarship from a school like Virginia Tech? I hesitantly agreed. 

I started with the left side of the paw, slowing scraping at the sides, pulling it up and off. I stopped, observing how odd the paw looked without one of its footprints. I reminded myself that I couldn't stop: just get it over with. I moved to the next, and the next, until it was completely gone. All that remained was sticky residue. I still remember the weird feeling that was stuck deep in my stomach. I reached towards the ground, and removed another sticker from its wrappings. I carelessly aligned the sticker on the car and slapped it down. “Hokie Girl”. I walked away, not wanting to look at it. 

Humans hate uncertainty.  Especially as we grow and mature, uncertainty becomes less and less of a friend to us.  When we're younger, uncertainty is exciting and full of wonder.  We don't have to know everything, we don't question, we simply believe.  However, as successful and educated individuals, we like knowing as much as we can. Knowledge is power. Not knowing deprives us from a sense of control. The problem was not the fact that I didn't go to Clemson. Rather, the problem was that life had thrown an unexpected twist in my journey. Not going to Clemson was completely out of my control, and that was what I hated. The thought of not having control over my life frustrated me. 

Then, it finally hit me: how boring would life be if everything went as planned? We would merely wonder aimlessly from place to place, checking off experiences as we went rather than actually living out our lives. It is the unexpected twists and turns that life throws our way in which we learn about ourselves. Life’s surprises are what define our individuality.   

Resentfully following my parents’ advice and attending Virginia Tech was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  The best part of all was how it wasn't the decision I wanted to make, but rather, an unexpected twist that I had not accounted for.  However, what I did not know and what I could not have known was that life doesn’t work according to plan.  You can’t simply plan out your life and expect it to go exactly the way you want.  Because at the end of the day, life itself is an uncertainty. How can we possibly know how to plan for something we know little about?  Many times, we know what we want and we know the steps we must take to get us there.  The key is to not let those plans keep us from enjoying life’s spontaneity.