I am a student who has graduated from Community College of Denver, (CCD) with an associate degree in business and a 4.0 GPA over my last four semesters. I am a Reisher Scholarship recipient and currently, I am attending the University of Colorado Denver. I will be graduating in May of 2018 with my bachelor’s degree in financial management and a concentration in computer information systems. I am looking forward to a career in finance and aspire to one day become a chief financial officer.

However, reaching this point of certainty was not easy. Just coming out of high school, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the plethora of possible career choices. It is even more confusing to match a degree to a potential career or vice versa. I believe that many students start college unsure of what they want to study.

Some people change majors multiple times while trying to find their way, and I share this experience. I started out as an English major at the University of Colorado at Denver. Later, I transferred to the University of Colorado at Boulder and switched between being a biology major and international affairs major. Ultimately, I was just trying to find my place. After incurring student loan debt due to the high cost of living in Boulder as well as failing to settle on a major, I became temporarily disillusioned with the traditional college experience. This led me to pursue, and earn, a welding certification at CCD.

At some point that year I received some career advice from a family friend that inspired me to return to traditional higher education. At CCD, I was finally able to settle on a major and received the support that I needed to stick with the program.

My job at CCD’s Career and Transfer Center (CTC) allows me to assist students who are also trying to find their way through the college system. I enjoy assisting others in planning their transfers to four-year schools and helping them to avoid the confusion that plagued me early on. The director at the TSC has also provided me with support and encouraged me to apply for the Reisher Scholarship. At first, I did not intend to apply because I did not believe that I could possibly be chosen, but thanks to the assurance of my director and my colleagues at the CTC, I applied and was ultimately selected! This opportunity will allow me to graduate from college completely debt free.

Sometimes it takes longer to find your way in life than you might have originally imagined but it is critical not to give up. Keep trying new things and stay open to new ideas, eventually, something will click and you will find what you are looking for. The most important thing to remember is that nothing that is worth it comes easily and that it does not matter how slowly you progress as long as you never stop trying.