I'm thankful for many things. I'm thankful for my apartment no matter what problems it has, to have a college degree that I worked hard for, to have a job I actually enjoy that also pays all of my bills, and for my family. without whom I wouldn't be doing the things I am able to do. Those are all pretty standard things. My main focus is on my college degree.
For those of you that may not know, I graduated almost a year ago from Roberts Wesleyan with my bachelor's in music education. And now? I am the senior beauty advisor at the Walgreens I work at. I have heard criticisms from many people that I just wasted my time and my money working toward a degree I am not using and probably will not use. This is for you.
I realized years ago that I did not have a passion for music education. I thought about switching majors, but God told me to stay put. I thought this meant I would learn to love it. Student teaching showed me exactly how wrong I was about that one. I wrestled with this for a long time, mainly through my entire college career. Why was I pursuing a major that would ultimately end in a career I did not love? I think I have a better answer to that now, after being out of college for an entire year.
- I met people I will cherish forever. I met some amazing young men and women throughout my time at Roberts that I will never be able to replace. And they encouraged me to come out of my shell.
- I grew closer to God. Being in the "Roberts bubble" is not great in some ways, but it gave me a chance to grow closer to God and to meet Christians from many different backgrounds and in different stages of their relationship with God.
- My experiences in education classes taught me many people skills and tools to use in communication. These are all things that help me in the job I currently have, where a part of my job description is to talk to people and also to put my best business face forward.
- I came to a place where I smile all the time. Anyone who met me in high school would probably think that smiles were impossible, but I smile all the time. It's an amazing feeling.
- I fell in love with my clarinet again! This was the most exciting thing for me about college. I had a clarinet teacher who supported me and pushed me to be the best I could be, in more ways than just my clarinet playing. I was also blessed to have an ensemble director who gave me performance opportunities and chances to grow in my playing abilities. I played some amazing repertoire and am incredibly thankful to have had those opportunities and experiences given to me.
- I'm also incredibly thankful to have met Wayne Burlison. Even though I only knew him for a short time, he left such a positive impact on me that I can't even begin to express.
- I also have a job that I look forward to everyday. If I didn't come to Roberts, I would have probably never worked at this Walgreens and never met some of the people I work with. No, my job isn't perfect, but I enjoy talking to a wide variety of people and helping them pick out the best products for them, even if it includes helping someone pick out the incontinence product that is right for them. I've come across so many sweet people. And honestly, it touches me when someone comes back and says that they changed their hair color to one of my suggestions out of their comfort zone and they loved it, or helped them pick out a brow product that would work great for them and help them frame their face.
So no, I'm not where I thought I would be by now. I honestly thought that I would be living in New York City and making a living by playing clarinet. I'm thankful for the place I'm in now. Yes, I'm in crazy amounts of debt right now. It's a little overwhelming to look at the total amount. But I know I'm going to be alright. God has a plan for me and I can't wait to see where I end up.
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