Goals by Jahyla

Goals by Jahyla - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

Are you excited about college?

Oh, that stereotypical question that is asked from every parent, friend, and counselor for every bright student that is about to attend college in the fall. Although, some students are fully aware of what type of future that they want for themselves; some students still struggle to find themselves in this new journey called "college" and I am one of the few students struggling with them along this journey. However, if I was given the chance to take a gap year between high school and college, I would’ve done more shadow experiences for a nursing and clinical psychologist career path and try to earn money to cover for my college expenses.
The biggest hurdle for me in high school was trying to find things that interest me. I was fully aware that I wanted to work in the healthcare system since my childhood. Nevertheless, my childlike mind still didn’t fully understand the demands of the healthcare profession. Even though I was able to secure internships during my freshman and junior year of high school for nursing and psychology, I felt that those 4 hours of shadowing was not enough time to gain a full perspective of what type of duties that those career paths require. And now that I am about to enter my freshman year of college, I am questioning if I made the right choice over what type of major I have chosen which is nursing. However, if I have taken a gap year, I would have had the opportunity to explore my options if I thought nursing was the right career path for me instead of trying to find stability instead of my own happiness about my career choice.
Another opportunity I would have taken on during my gap year is trying to earn extra money to cover for my college expenses. Student debt is the number issue that makes students question if they should choose to go to college or not. By me having extra time during a gap year, I could use that time responsibly to earn extra money to cover for textbooks, meal plans, and tuition and fees to reduce the cost of my student loan debt. If I was able to earn this extra type of income, I would be one step closer to opening up my own non-profit organization for low-income students and this would help my mother to stop working overtime to provide for me and my 2 siblings while I attend college.