Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come across a scholarship for being a fan of an album. And not just any album at that, Taylor Swift's 1989 album! Wow, I still remember getting the CD when I was little. It was given to me as a birthday gift and I think I only knew one song at the time, 'Shake it Off.' It was my very first CD of my own and it definitely made me feel like a "big girl" as I was maybe 9 when I got it. It's still pretty funny to think about it cause I would just play 'Shake it Off' on loop cause it was the only one that I really knew as I didn't have a great understanding of love or break-up songs at the time. Now that I'm older and my music taste has evolved, I've definitely found different songs I love on that album! Oh how do I choose just one? After some careful thought and listening to each song again, I think I'll have to say my favorite is 'How You Get the Girl.' Although other songs like 'Bad Blood', 'I Know Places', 'Blank Space', and 'Style' are definitely the ones that I'm blasting in my car with the windows down, I think 'How You Get the Girl' is my favorite. I have always been a sucker for cutesy love songs, even if it still ends in loosing the girl, some may call me a hopeless romantic. And after having the album for about 10 years, I finally got into a relationship of my own, so I feel that it'd be rather counterintuitive to love break-up songs. I just can't hear the songs while thinking of him. The lyrics "I want you for worse or for better I would wait for ever and ever" has to be my favorite lines of the song! If there's anything I've learned as I've matured and gotten into a relationship, it's that patience is something to hold highly and communication needs to be established. And this song talks about both of those, "that's how it works." Relationships aren't something to just throw away. When you love someone, you want them "for worse or for better." You don't want to leave them without telling them why, even if it's something as simple as not seeing each other over spring break, you still "wish [they] would" tell you why you haven't seen each other. That's why I like 'How You Get the Girl,' it puts into perspective what happens if you are or aren't open with your partner. But that doesn't mean I won't yell the lyrics of the other songs at the top of my lungs when listening to them. If anything, it makes me incredibly excited to see the day that Taylor is in a good relationship that she wants to last! She's grown so much as a person and an artist, she deserves a lasting love.

The process by which I chose the career path that I am on has been rather interesting. Ever since I could remember, I had always wanted to find a career related to art. The possibilities were endless for elementary to high school me. In middle school, I came to the realization that one had to make all the character designs and animate them for some of my favorite movies as a kid. So, that settled it, I was going to be an animator. Since then, I would go on to teach myself how to draw my favorite 2-dimensional characters, try my hand at animating frame by frame on a hand-me-down tablet that would hardly stay on for more than ten minutes, and finally started coming up with my own original characters later to be used to fine-tune my own unique style. This ideal that I had for my future, the dream that flooded my mind every hour of the day, came to an unsuspecting halt. About halfway through my senior year of highschool, my parents sat me down to have a talk about college. Although they had at least seemed encouraging of my hopes and aspirations, they ultimately told me to put away childish ideas and study something else. It's very safe to say that I did not take well to this news. I was mere inches away from doing what I've longed for my whole life, just for that plan to crumble beneath me. All the time spent teaching myself as many skills and techniques I could, wasted. So, I had to scramble any thoughts together in search for a career that I felt confident in accomplishing, something I could find a near similar passion for, and a job that would ensure financial stability as my parents wished. Trying to completely change my mindset was rather difficult, it still is at times, but I had to come up with something fast. Thankfully, I was taking a chemistry class at the same time which I loved! There I had it, I was going to become a research scientist. The following summer once I had been accepted to California Baptist University, I declared chemistry as my major and started taking classes for it. Chemistry is one of the funniest classes I could take! I absolutely love learning about it, and I love doing the labs! While I had free time during these labs, or I was doing something that wouldn't be difficult to talk at the same time, I'd chat with my professor about what I can do with the degree. As the semester went on, I came to the conclusion that I love chemistry, as I've stated, but I didn't want to do it for a living. The class wasn't hard or anything, I had an A, I just didn't want to continue that path for the rest of my life. I wasn't really sure what I did want to do, but chemistry didn't feel right. So, at the turn of the semester I didn't just change majors, I changed fields. I went from science to business, specifically accounting. No, it's not the funnest thing I could've chosen, and I'm probably the last person to talk about business. But I've always been good at math and I enjoy being organized. So no, it's not art, but it needs to be done. My dad sacrificed a lot to get me through elementary through highschool, my grandma sacrificed to teach her kids English for a better future. Why can't I do the same? Sacrifice for my future kids.

College can be incredibly stressful! From weekly quizzes and ten-page papers to finding ways to afford tuition, there are many ways students of all types can get overstressed and unintentionally neglect their well-being. Stressors add up on each other and when you have no means of releasing them, it makes for a hard time. When your mental health is unwell, it will affect how you treat yourself and how you handle circumstances. Although this past year had more financial, life developmental, social, and academic demands compared to my previous year attending university, the stresses I felt didn't affect me as harshly as before. This year, I have attempted to deal with what I allow to stress me out rather than distract myself from my feelings as I've done in the past. This includes talking about what I'm dealing with, getting support, journaling, and taking time to process what it is I'm feeling and why I'm feeling that way. Having friends around this year has also incredibly helped with my mental wellness. I can go to them and ask for help, reassurance, or just have someone to listen to me. From experience, bottling up emotions and thoughts makes even the smallest difficulties all the harder. However, too many social events with friends may cause time-based stress if you don't manage time well. As with anything good, it is highly important to take things in moderation, including the time spent with friends. In the cases that I feel that I can't go to someone for help, or the matter is more private, journaling has been a lifesaver. It gives me the time I need to understand what I feel and to better compile my thoughts for the chance I end up talking about it. If I feel that I don't know how to explain what I'm thinking but still want help, I can journal it quickly and use it as a first draft to figure out if it makes sense. I've found that this technique works well when frustration is involved. As compared to last year, I have done a lot of walking during my free time. Sure, it isn't anything too extensive, but it does give me alone time that isn't for distraction purposes while getting me outside. Yes, I could go to the gym on my campus at this time and use a treadmill instead, but being able to go outside and explore campus rather than scrolling on my phone for the duration of the hour-and-a-half break between classes is much more enjoyable. I've found that I genuinely look forward to being able to walk my route regardless of the time, weather, how heavy my backpack is, how tired I am, or even what shoes I'm wearing that day. I also feel that I have been happier since I started doing this throughout my week and was rather upset that I had to cut my walks short the last few weeks of this previous semester. Similarly to adjusting physical activities, I have recently started working on teaching myself how to cook different meals and choose healthier snacks. Instead of making a microwavable meal every day for lunch, I'm trying to make my own meals with what is at home as well as snacking less. Which has also boosted my mentality as one: I feel better, and two: it's an accomplishment to learn to cook! Making these habits has made college easier. I'm not constantly overstressed, I'm clear-minded to work on assignments, and the curriculum is making more sense to me. I feel much more confident in myself as a result!