Much like myself, I'm sure many high school students enter college with a pre-determined major and a four year plan. We all think we have it figured out and that the road to our bachelor's degree is going to be a breeze, but I can tell you from experience that life happens and your plan may not pan out as expected.

Four years ago, I entered college as a freshman on the pre-med track with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. Today, I'm a fifth-year senior inching closer and closer to a degree in English education. What happened, you ask? The answer is simple: reality.

After half of a semester on the pre-med track, I vividly remember calling my mom at nearly midnight on a week day crying and asking her if she'd resent me if I didn't make a six figure salary every year after college. I'd had an epiphany about myself and the course of my life. I realized that I was pursuing a medical degree for the pay, not because it was a career path that I was truly passionate about, and I hated myself for thinking and acting so selfishly. I couldn't envision myself as another doctor chasing paper without a single care in the world for her patients.

My mom, listening to me bawl on the other end of the line, finally asked, "Well, what are you gonna do?" Nervous and terrified, I managed to say, "I'm gonna major in English. I want to be a teacher." And what she said next has resonated within me every day since: "Do whatever makes you happy."

I was on the path to becoming a secondary English teacher by the following afternoon.

I can't begin to describe to you the relief and the pure happiness that I felt after finally finding my calling. It was everything I loved but never knew I wanted until I was immersed in it, and I pursued it fiercely. I surrounded myself with all things education and worked tirelessly every day at molding myself into the best and most effective teacher possible, but in my endeavor to better myself for my future students, I discovered that I needed help just to be the best me I could be.

I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies less than seven months ago, and at that time, I had to make a life-altering decision: myself or my education, me or my students. But it wasn't that simple. It's never just black or white, cut and dry. I didn't have to choose; I just had to make one a priority over there. So I made the incredibly difficult decision to withdraw from college in order to focus on my mental health.

I was finally receiving the medical attention I'd so desperately needed for many, many years: medications, therapy, but I couldn't overcome the all-consuming feeling of failure - like I'd failed myself, my family, my friends, my boyfriend. I wouldn't complete my degree in 4 years. I'd be behind all of my other high school classmates. I'd look like a total fool just pandering about, trying keep my head above water and miserably failing. In the end, my choice to put myself first only cost me two things: my year-long relationship with my boyfriend and my endless pursuit of perfection. I quickly realized that I could live without both, that I was a better person without either.

Today, I feel better than I've ever felt in my entire 21 years on this earth. I am so happy to be alive and to be able to do what I want and what I love. My semester off from college turned into a year, and that's okay. It's okay, and I'm okay with it. I start college again in the fall, and I couldn't be more excited to get back to the daily grind of school. I'm more excited about education now than I could've ever fathomed before, and I am so incredibly proud of myself for doing me instead of what everyone else was doing. I'm proud of myself for taking care of me, of only worrying about me.

So, yeah. Life happens. Things don't go as planned, but I can tell you this: you'll be fine. You will make it because you are more than your current situation. It's only a temporary set back on the path to permanent happiness, and I promise you that it's worth it - the work, the tears, everything. I took a year off from college to focus on myself, and even though I won't graduate in 4 years with my bachelor's degree, I will come out the other side a better, stronger person and that's the best accomplishment I could ever dream of.