When I was 16, I was so set on doing one thing because I've been doing it for so long. This gave me no sort of adaptability when it came to choosing a career for myself that was not only lucrative, but something I would enjoy doing. A few years before I was 16, I didn't know what I wanted to do. At first it was being a photographer, then a lawyer, then a soccer player, it was so all over the place that when I found something that really spoke to me like marketing, I thought I had to stick with that. Marketing felt like something I'd truly love because of how creative it was and how fun it was to do. This made me do things like join clubs relating to marketing, doing competitions for marketing, I loved marketing and thought I'd want to do that for the rest of my life. I even decided to integrate another thing that I loved into it, sports. I wanted to become a marketing manager for a sports team. However when getting into college I realized despite my love for marketing, I asked, "Would this major be lucrative when going into the real world.". I sat with this question for a bit and I decided to look at some other majors that can align with business but something a lot more lucrative. I landed on finance because of the amount of opportunities I could have. I also decided to keep marketing by joining marketing clubs and minoring in marketing. I made an adjustment and even kept a part of me that was so familiar. Many think that when improving it must be a new you, something that is completely different from the current you. While that may help, it doesn't mean you have to go and get rid of the thing that makes you happy. This decision will change my life forever, however I am ready for that change. Remembering what I did to get here makes me remember why I do the things I do.

When it comes to achievements that I have accomplished, it is a hard category to narrow down. I consider the small things in life to be achievements because every little thing is moving you forward to your ultimate goal. If I had to pick a single achievement to mark as my proudest achievement so far in my life, it would have to be getting into Virginia Commonwealth University, or more widely known as VCU. My reasons for this are a bit complicated, but I would love to explain the reason for my choice. One of the reasons that getting admitted into VCU is one of my proudest achievements so far is that getting into a school like this means so much to me. When looking into colleges, VCU wasn't even my first decision, I wanted to go to Penn State or Georgetown University. I applied to the colleges and I got into Penn State, I was over the moon when getting the news, this would mean I could finally do what I wanted to do in the future at the school I've always wanted to go to. I did not get into Georgetown unfortunately, but I didn't let it shake me either, because I had just got into VCU a couple weeks before. Then I had a choice, Penn State, or VCU, and this decision was not an easy one. Looking at the benefits for going to both schools, I found that VCU was the best choice since it means I'm closer to home, being only 30 minutes from my home, and no out of state tuition. Other than personal preferences, VCU was surrounded by businesses, and I am a business major wanting to major in marketing. So finding internships during college or jobs after college wouldn't be too much of a problem. All these factors and some others made me make the decision to go to VCU. Another reason on getting admitted into VCU is such a proud achievement for me is because it's the start of my life. I like to think of the first 17 years of your life to be a sort of "tutorial". A time to build friendships, personalities, and find who you are. Once you turn 18, you get put into the real world and now everyone including yourself is on their own. This is where the "game" truly starts; finding new friends you could make for life, finding who you are as a person, and many more experiences. I'm sure I will find many opportunities at VCU, with friends, jobs, and experiences I won't forget. My achievements may not be much now, but I will look back on them knowing I've grown a lot as a person. My goal is to become a marketing specialist for a sports team. Every little achievement is a step closer to this goal, and this achievement is just one of many.