I believe in following your dreams.
Growing up I was also told chase your dream no matter what road they may take you on. They were always telling my brother and I to follow our dreams and never settle for less than what we deserve. If we wanted it, we had to go out there and fight for it.
When I was 15, my brother left for Penn State to pursue a degree in Turf-grass Science. Once he got here and I saw how happy he was, I realized it was also my dream to be here at Penn State. I visited once and fell in love.
After I returned from visiting him, I woke up and strived to make my life better and make it to Penn State. Life in my house became it’s own little Happy Valley. I talked with my brother almost everyday and he’d tell me about all the fun times he was having. At that point I realized why I envied him because I wished that I was the one enjoying the downtown sights of College Ave. Or the beautiful glimpse of walking by Old Main every day – just a few beautiful sights that State College has to offer.
Three years later, it was time for me to go to college. I applied to a few schools, and of course Penn State. I didn’t get into Penn State on my first try. Devastated of course, but I was determined I wasn’t going to let it get me down. I decided that at the time, I was going to follow my other dream of being a culinary arts student.
As settling into college life, I realized culinary school wasn’t for me. I wasn’t happy where I was. I realized in order to be happy, I need to be in Happy Valley. I started researching information about Penn State like the campus, majors, and where I’d live if I ever got the chance to live here.
After 3 long, miserable months of culinary school I told my mom I needed to transfer at the end of the year and that I was already looking at Penn State. Being reluctant, I made myself go through the agonizing pain of filling out college applications, submitting essays, and transferring credits. Then there was the limbo time of waiting to know whether I got accepted or not into Penn State.
I realized that the only person you need to rely on for achieving your dreams is yourself. No one can go out there and chase your dream job for you. Being college students, we sometime don’t realize that after college we actually do have to wake up before 8 a.m., get a real job, and have to deal with people we may not like. But we’re all – well mostly – are here to chase our dream job no matter what it takes. Don’t let anyone hold you back.