Advice by Alyssa

Advice by Alyssa - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could give my past self one piece of advice, it would be this: You are allowed to start over, and doing so does not mean you’ve failed. For a long time, I believed that once I chose a path, I had to stick with it no matter how heavy it became. I believed stability meant success and that change was something to be feared rather than embraced. I now know that some of the most powerful transformations come when we let go of what no longer serves us and choose to begin again.

This advice would have meant everything to my younger self, who devoted nearly two decades to working in the hospitality industry. I rose through the ranks, became a Food and Beverage Director, and built a career I thought I was supposed to want. I learned leadership, how to manage people, how to troubleshoot problems under pressure, and how to adapt to constant change. But I also felt deeply unfulfilled and quietly longed for something more meaningful, something that aligned with who I was rather than who I felt I had to be.

Still, I stayed. I told myself I had come too far to throw it all away. I was scared to leave behind the familiar. I was afraid of the judgment that might come from admitting I wanted something different. That fear held me in place longer than it should have.

If I could whisper this advice to my past self, I would tell her that choosing a new direction is not weakness. It is growth. I would tell her that it is never too late to change your mind or to follow a calling that lights something inside you. The skills she gained from her career were not wasted. They would become the foundation for something new.

Today, I am pursuing a degree in Library and Information Sciences with a focus on archiving and historical research. It is a complete career shift, one fueled by a love of preserving knowledge and a desire to make history accessible to others. It has not been easy balancing school, work, and a major life transition, but I am finally moving in a direction that feels honest and fulfilling. The version of me who once believed she was trapped now feels hopeful, excited, and empowered.

Looking back, I wish I had known sooner that starting over isn’t starting from nothing. It is starting from experience. It is giving yourself permission to grow in new directions. I wish I had known that people aren’t meant to stay in the same chapter forever. Sometimes turning the page is the bravest thing you can do.

To my past self, I would say this: trust yourself. Trust your instincts when they tell you something doesn’t feel right. Trust that your future is worth the leap, even if it’s scary. And most importantly, trust that beginning again is not a failure. It is a decision to keep becoming the person you were always meant to be.