Many of those that I graduated high school with knew exactly which college they wanted to go to and what to major in. I wasn’t like the others. I didn’t figure it all out until the end of my 2nd year of college, the time when I should’ve transferred to a university. My whole life, my parents (most of all, my mom) was pushing me to become a nurse, like most Filipino families. I was never truly interested in becoming a nurse and my parents knew that. However, we had a plan that I would first graduate from nursing and then I can go back to school to major in whatever I wanted. I thought, at first, that this made sense. But then I started to not do so well in all of my science classes. This was in direct correlation to my lack of interest in anything biology/chemistry related. I would spend hours studying and stressing myself out over the fact that I was still lost after all the work that I’ve done. It’s really difficult to study for a class that you are not at all interested in.
Fast-forward a couple semesters and a couple D’s and F’s later, I took my first Psychology class. It was Psychology 300: Introduction. Everything I learned was so fascinating to me; from classical conditioning to mental illnesses. It was the first time, in a long time, that I was enjoying my study sessions. It was also my very first A in college. I knew this is what I wanted to major in, but I didn’t really know what type of careers I could go for with a Psychology degree. So I did my research; a lot of research.
I’ve prayed a lot about what I should major in because I felt so lost. I’ve always known that I wanted to help others. I love to volunteer and enjoy giving my time to the people in need. After my research, I knew I liked the idea of counseling and industrial-organizational psychology. In one of my other Psychology classes, we watched a video about domestic violence then suddenly it finally hit me what I really wanted to do. I wanted to help children and families overcome physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. I wanted to help those who were victims of domestic violence. I wanted to spread hope and shine a light on those who have been affected and have lost hope of goodness in the world. I wanted to spread the good Grace of God. So, that’s when I realized that Psychology is the major for me.
I’m still debating on whether I should double major in Social Work or Child Development or Family Sciences. I’ve been praying for some clarity on that. But at least I know now exactly where God wants me to go.