Hometown:
Memphis, TN
My Story:
Trying to find my “perfect” major was daunting when I first started at BYU. I struggled with getting outside my comfort zone and felt a lot of pressure to make the right choice, but I didn’t feel strongly about any program. After getting pretty far in the German Teaching major, I realized that I needed to figure out what I was passionate about. I learned that I could be happy in a wide variety of majors and started prioritizing finding a major that excited me. This led me to the marketing program and I’ve been loving my college experience since then.
Favorites
Book: The Book Thief
Movie: The Sixth Sense
Food: Pasta
Animal: Birds
Color: Forest green
Does Pineapple Belong on Pizza? Warm pineapple makes me uncomfortable, so I have to say no, although I can understand why people might like it.
Hobbies: Reading, exploring new places with loved ones, birdwatching, knitting, spending time in nature
Boring fact about me: My ideal week would include going to bed at 10pm every night.
Exploration Experience
As I was registering for my first classes in my freshman year, I had no idea what I wanted to do or what direction I should take. I chose classes that were similar to what I took in high school because they were familiar to me. I was an undeclared major for almost my entire freshman year until I declared as a German Teaching major because it felt like the direction I was being pushed in.
During my second year, I started having doubts about what career path would be most enjoyable for me and I finally realized that I needed to do some exploring and learn what I truly want. I reached out to people in career fields I was interested in, took personality assessments, worked through self discovery and career mapping activities, and bounced ideas around with my loved ones. I realized that my interests and skill set lent themselves well to solving business problems and decided to take some business classes to see if I had a passion.
It turned out that I loved those business classes! I love talking with other people and learning from them. I enjoy thinking analytically and working with data. After all that exploring, I found my place in the marketing program and have been loving it. I don’t believe that there’s only one correct choice for someone’s major or career path. There are so many paths you can take and be successful in, but finding something I am passionate about was my biggest priority.
Why is Exploring Important to Me
Exploring is important in any facet of life because it helps you learn and grow. The more information you have, the better informed your decisions will be. I love exploring because it’s fun and there are no wrong answers! Exploring is an iterative process, which means we can adjust and try again until we get what we need. I think it’s so important to do things you’re passionate about and to truly understand our passions we have to explore. In my own self-exploration, the more I learned, the greater my appreciation for exploring grew.
Looking Back
I wish I had been more confident in myself and gotten involved in campus events and resources earlier. If I didn’t already have a friend participating in an activity I was interested in, I didn’t have the courage to get involved and I missed out on a lot of fun opportunities. If I were to give advice to my freshman self, I’d tell her to try new things, even if they feel daunting, or if I’m not sure whether I’ll like them. There are SO many things BYU and the surrounding community offer that can really elevate the college experience and this is the perfect time to explore!