When I was in elementary school, my dad and I made guacamole with one special ingredient: habaneros. Even though I was very little and probably not capable of handling such a hot pepper, I ate a slice of one. It burned my mouth, hands, and eyes, but I still loved it. Most kids probably would not let their parent feed them something if they didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t afraid. My dad has always taught me to try new things, to not be afraid to approach the unknown.
When I was younger I tried ice skating, ballet, rock climbing, gymnastics, cheerleading, karate, collecting rocks, gardening, singing, and auditioning for plays. Only a few of those stuck, but I’ve never regretted that I let myself discover what I wanted to do by trying a little of everything not just by doing what I thought I should, or my parents told me I should, do.
I have always had supportive and encouraging parents, ones who have always let me be the one to figure out what I want to do, and have always trusted me to make the decision that is best for me. When I started applying to schools, I primarily applied to in-state schools, but my heart was set on Kenyon. It was scary to want to move across the country, and it was even scarier telling my parents that I wanted to. For a while, I was scared that I was making the wrong choice; I had never been away from home for more than a week, and moving away for four years was terrifying to me. But, I remembered what my dad had taught me. I did not have to be afraid of new things.
I did have to be afraid that this new thing I was trying would be something I might change my mind about, like when I only got to my white belt with one stripe in karate or when I quit cheerleading after one year because I was tired of being peppy all the damn time. I have always been encouraged to try new things, but I have not always stuck with them, either because I was not enjoying it anymore or because I did not think I was good enough. The thought that I could choose to move two thousand miles away and then regret it was not something I was sure I wanted to take the chance on.
Once again, I looked to my dad. His entire life, my father has worked tirelessly to make sure that I have had the opportunities that I have had so that I can try new things. He has cheered me on at gymnastics meets, planted peas with me in our backyard, taken me to sushi restaurants to try squid and eel, and just overall always supported and encouraged me with whatever I do, even if I decide I don’t like it. So whenever my dad sends me Google alerts that he has subscribed to get just so that he knows anything and everything that is going at Kenyon, I know that he’s excited that I decided to take a chance on this tiny, amazing school, even if it’s across the country from where the man who taught me how to go after what I want lives. I know that I took the best chance I have ever taken on Kenyon, and that’s thanks to me being brave enough to try something new: going after something I really love.
Image Credit: Mark Nagel, Stacy Nagel