The German philosopher Immanuel Kant once said, “The wise man can change his mind;  the stubborn one, never.”

As a college student in my twenties, changing my mind on a career seemed like the end of the world to me.  I thought I had it all figured out since the beginning of high school when I was determined to follow a career on the medical field.  My plan was to graduate high school, move out of my hometown and head straight to a university.

During my four years attending San Luis High School, I enrolled in classes that would prepare me for a medical career.  I never was a straight-A student, but I always enjoyed my classes.

However, in my senior year, I started doubting myself and noticed a lack of enthusiasm for my classes.  Seeing my friends and classmates apply to universities with their mind set on a career made me feel left behind.

“Is this what I really want?” I asked myself.  “Am I prepared to spend all of my life in a career like this?”

It was then that I made the first change in my plans.  I was no longer moving to a university; instead, I would be attending my local community college, Arizona Western College.  I didn’t have a problem with staying a few months in my hometown while I figured out what I wanted to do.

A few days before my high school graduation, I spoke to my English teacher, Mr. Garcia, about how I felt about changing my plans.  He said, “I know what you are capable of, and you will not discover your full potential until you move out of here.”  But he was wrong.

A few months after graduating, I started my first semester in AWC, still focusing on a medical career, this time as a physical therapist.  Unexpectedly, the pandemic started, and all classes changed to an online format.

It was difficult to adapt to the new concept of taking classes online.  I was not motivated to continue with my classes, and I came to a point so low that I was thinking of dropping out.  But, as a daughter of Mexican immigrants, I was raised knowing not to take things for granted, especially my education.

This past semester was my first after changing my degree. I am now majoring in Media Arts, and I plan to pursue a career in journalism.  Like many other students, I still struggle adapting to classes online, but making that change has allowed me to discover that I have the potential to achieve my goals.  I took a leap of faith when changing my degree, and it has turned out for the best.

Now I encourage all students who are feeling lost to take that risk and make changes in their lives.  It is never too late to start a new page in our book.