One Resolution. One Year. One Life Changed Forever. by Samantha

One Resolution. One Year. One Life Changed Forever. by Samantha - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

I have honestly never followed through with New Year’s resolutions. Unexpectedly, 2016 has already felt so different, so I feel the need to follow through with my one resolution of the New Year. My resolution is this: I will find myself and in the process of doing this, I will become closer to reaching my dreams.

Although this resolution may seem far-fetched and unreachable to some, I personally believe that I can do this. 2015 ended in an unexpected and positive manner. I started on a new path for my career, shocking my family and even myself. I was once a psychology major with an emphasis in pre-medicine. For the last eight years of my life I had one goal, and that was to become a medical examiner. After only a short two months in college, my whole demeanor changed. Ideals like fitting into society, and the American dream stopped being important to me. Instead, I started to focus on what will truly make me happy, my growing faith, and finding the real me.

I made the drastic change to follow my heart and go against the flow. I am now a psychology major with an art minor, pursuing a career in art therapy. People ask me all the time how I all of a sudden changed my career from dissecting the ones who were taken too soon to solve crimes, to helping people solve their problems through artistic methods. I do not really have an ‘acceptable’ answer. “I thought I liked science, and it turns out it is harder than and not as enjoyable as I thought.” That just sounds like I gave up. “I just wanted something new.” That makes it sound like I am indecisive. Although those things may be true, they are not the only reason. Most of my motivation for becoming a medical examiner were money, making my family proud, and being successful by definition of the American dream. Although there is nothing wrong with these motivations, I did not want them to dictate my life. College has opened up my mind to a different outlook. Here is the thing about being in college; it will change you and you will grow.

Since the start of this wondrous metamorphosis in the last few weeks of 2015, I have continued to grow faster than I ever did before. 2016 has already opened up new job opportunities, allowed myself to beam with excitement as I take on challenged regarding my new courses and obstacles, as well as shown me that plans can change without everything being destroyed. I learned to not lose faith, to always push on, and to never give up.

I have already learned so much in 2016. With these new outlooks on life, I will be a better student. I am more excited and motivated to work and study as hard as I can in order to reach my goals. I am more persistent and dedicated towards my study now that I look forward to being an art therapist. I do not want to be an art therapist for the money or because it is a logical and safe choice. Pursuing this career means that I will have to move to a different state as my family, start new in a place foreign to me, and be subject to ridicule from those close to me. Although these things are not desired, I am also excited to make this leap of faith, because I know I will be making a difference in someone’s life. I will be dealing with life instead of death. 2016 has many great things to offer and being a better student is the foundation to those changes that are capable of changing my entire life.