All of us experience different changes
throughout our lives. Each change we experience is so personal because they
shape us into who we become. Personally, the most frequent changes I have made
throughout my life have involved education.
From a young age I have struggled
with school. Not because I don’t enjoy learning, but because my learning style
is very unconventional. I discovered when I was very little that my brain
worked differently than that of my peers. As you could imagine, these
differences put a toll on me at such a young age. I was in fourth grade when my
mom pulled me out and decided to homeschool me for the remainder of the year. After being homeschooled for the rest of my
Elementary school career, I went to a private middle school. After middle
school concluded, I attempted online schooling. Then I finished my last few
years at a different private school. I remember the day I graduated being one
of the defining moments of my life. Grade school had been no easy achievement.
After attending public, home, and private school, I received my diploma. It was
one of the happiest days of my life. I felt accomplished. The changes that I
endured helped mold me into the young man I am today.
These changes taught me many
valuable lessons. I realized through the process that change is okay.
Sometimes people have such a negative idea regarding change. There is nothing wrong
with making continuous changes to figure out what makes you happiest. Some
people judged me along the way for always changing schools. Many of my friends
just simply didn’t understand. It was not easy to constantly move schools and
make new friends. It was something I felt I needed to do in order to be
successful. Looking back, I know those changes were necessary because each
portion of my grade school years offered me different experiences that I would
not trade for anything. I met such a diverse group of people. Through these
experiences, I built a love for others and peoples’ differences. I actively
decided that these changes were beneficial to me and my character. There were
moments where I had doubt in my heart, but I trusted in God. My journey was no
easy feat, but through the faith I had in God, I knew I could achieve my
educational goals.
I applied to Brigham Young University
and got accepted. All the years of hard work and change had paid off because I
got in to the number one school of my choice. I attended my first summer term
in 2013 with bright hopes for my future. I then went on my mission and returned
to the university in January of this year. After a few weeks of attending this
school, I realized that I was unhappy. That familiar feeling of knowing I was
not in the right place came back. I was ashamed and upset. I worked so hard to
get to this point. Many sacrifices were made for me to attend this university.
I had previously received a spiritual prompting that this is where I was
supposed to be. After much prayer and reflection, the feeling came over me that
I needed to leave Brigham Young University.
While this feeling came as a bit of a
shock, I trusted in God. I knew that He had a plan for me. I went to the
admissions office at BYU to withdraw from my classes. As I sat down with a
counselor, she relayed to me the Social Media Marketing program that LDS
Business College offers. She expressed her feeling that it would be a better
fit and that I should look into it. I toured the college, and here I am today. I
have only been attending the school for about a month, but I know without a doubt that
this is exactly where I need to be.
Through these many educational
changes I now know that my struggles do not define me. They help mold me into
who I am. Sometimes you have to go down the wrong road to get to the
right one. I still have no idea why I received a prompting to attend Brigham
Young University. There was possibly something I needed to learn in my short
time being there. What I do know is that I am here today, and it is exactly
where I am supposed to be. Building character means enduring change and trial
well. Looking forward to the future with positive hope will bring us
happiness. We all experience change, yet each change is so unique. The
beautiful thing about our individual character is that the changes we
experience are what we need for our personal growth. I am who I am today
because of the decisions and changes I have decided to make throughout my life.
We may not be in control of everything, but we are in control of ourselves and
who we decide to be.
