“Honey what do want to be when you grow up?” people would ask.
“A mommy,” was my reply. I was only five but genuinely believed I could be whatever I wanted.
It was all planned and on paper. After a wrong turn in my career choice, I stumbled into a passion for journalism. Like finding gold, “finally I knew what I wanted to do!” I would step down from my full time job, and focus all my energy on my studies. No one or thing could stop me. So I thought.
Bam! Sharp pains, which made me drop to my knees and cry “mom,” led me to a surgery table. Doctors removed my gallbladder. I was left with five small cuts and a bag of gallstones for souvenirs. My plans to focus on school completely changed. A person should never have to worry about medical bills so early in his or her life. But it was reality. Life’s not always “roses and butterflies, it’s compromise that moves us along,” as Maroon 5 puts it.
As a student, I know the pressure to have it all perfect. Society paints a pretty picture for the “A” model student, the problem is we don’t all fit in. I chose to take shorter class hours and move down my graduation date to work full time for health insurance coverage. TJC already felt like a gang, once you’re in you’re never out. Although it has taken a few more semesters to complete my courses, I had to switch my perception to be able to obtain my career as a journalist.
God knows we can’t do it all. No student should compare him or herself to anybody else. We all make our own choices. Some are detours and others a straight path towards the finish line. But folks, if we counted all the curve balls and had a pity party over them, men and women of our human history wouldn’t have reached great heights of achievements. Just imagine if they didn’t push beyond their circumstances. Our world would perhaps be different, not in a good way.
My health “detour” actually became a blessing. I have expanded my professional skills because of work and built lifelong friendships along the way. I accept the outcome of the situation and redirected my focus.
Truth is, life hasn’t gone the way I planned it but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop setting goals and continue to follow the blueprints set for my life. One day at a time.
Written by Belen Casillas
Chief-in-Editor Fall 2012
