I thought I had my entire life planned out when I first stepped onto campus freshman year. I wanted to be a finance and Chinese double major. I wanted to graduate, go to law school out in California, and live the rest of my days working at a corporate desk job, with a small family and a very sizable bank account. However, on the first day of Microeconomics, I realized that I had made a very huge mistake. Sure, I still loved the business world and a lot of the aspects within it. I had been extremely active in business clubs in high school, and absolutely adored it. However, when I sat through that first class and the subsequent classes thereafter, I realized I had lost my passion and interest in business. That proved to be the first milestone in finding myself in college, though it certainly wasn’t the only one.
Me and my boyfriend junior year of high school.
I am a low-income, half Mexican, half Canadian/Irish woman from a small border town in Arizona. I grew up going to Mexico, eating amazing food, listening to wonderful music, and being surrounded by a really close-knit community. I personally identify more as Mexican, simply because it what I grew up with, but that in no way means that I am not as proud of my white background either. I honestly never felt like a minority until I came to college. Being a low-income mixed woman at Notre Dame made it hard to fit in economically and socially, and I initially had felt completely lost and confused about who I was.
Me and my boyfriend over Christmas
College is a wonderful experience, and being here at Notre Dame just makes it that much better. Things just go that much better with a definite plan, right? Actually, I have realized how wrong that freshman mentality of mine was. You cannot plan your life, and you cannot plan who you are going to grow into. Focusing on the person you think you should be, instead of branching out and realizing the person you need to be, could cause you to miss out on new interests and opportunities that could bring about incredible amounts of joy and success. Do this by breaking out of your comfort zone. Travel the world alone. Work out. Meditate. Sit next to someone in class you haven’t met before, and say hi. Join a club that interests you and is outside of what you would normally do. Go to academic discussions, plays, and sporting event. Go on a date with the guy that isn’t really your type, but is fun and nice anyways. Try something new! It’s possible that none of these things work out and you may realize you were doing the right thing in the first place. In that case, be proud of yourself for at least trying. However, by sticking to what you think should, you could be missing out on a new you- a you that enjoys what they do, that people love being around, a you that makes YOU happy.
Academia is so important and crucial to your future, but so is your own happiness. Discover that now, in college, while you have so many options and resources at your fingertips. Discover that happiness for YOU.
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All images provided by the author.