When I first decided that "real school" wasn't for me, I was nervous to tell people that I was going to cosmetology school. I knew that people would think that I gave up on college, that cosmetology school was an easy way out. Cosmetology school was the route everyone expected me to take in high school when I never showed up for school. The first time that I brought it up to one of my friends, she said: "No, don't do it, that's like giving up on everything. You're just proving everyone who thought you'd give up right."

It took me a year and a half to realize that it doesn't matter what other people think. I was wasting time and money going to college, learning the same things that I've been learning since sixth grade: Math, Science, History, and English. I didn't know what I wanted to major in because I didn't know what I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to work with people, I wanted to make people feel better.

School has always been hard for me: I couldn't focus, I never wanted to get out of bed in the morning, I could never stay motivated. My grades never reflected my intelligence. I never felt like there was a purpose to go to school, it was just somewhere for me to be during the day.

After finishing my third semester in college, I finally decided that it wasn't something that was for me: sitting in a classroom, listening to a professor, that doesn't even know my name, rant on about something that I won't need once the class is over.

I was lucky, across the street from my college, there is a beauty school. Cosmetology school was something that I used to talk about but never really looked into it. When I first started looking into it, I never expected to love it as much as I do. After my month week of school, I have one regret: I should've done this sooner.

I am finally learning the way that I needed to learn. They teach the lesson and the very next day we are learning hands on. We learn things that are only important to what we want to do, but that doesn't just mean that we sit around and play with hair all day.

This is an amazing opportunity: I want to learn, getting out of bed in the morning is easy, I have met awesome people, and I feel like I have a purpose there.The instructors build individual relationships with every single one of the students. All of the girls in my class are slowly becoming my best friends.

I'm learning to do the things that I've always loved to do, but now I'm learning to do it for my career, I cannot wait to see what I will walk away with at graduation. I finally found a place where I belong. I found a passion that makes me happy.