In elementary school, I joined our community swim league. I was behind for my age – I couldn’t make it the length of the pool. So, I was placed in the younger age bracket so that I could build up my stamina. The entire first year of swim, I didn’t place in any of the meets. It wasn’t until my second year on the team that I won my first race.

It was my second summer on the team, and I was up on the diving block. The buzzer sounded and I hit the water. And then my goggles fell off. Not exactly a great start. Without being able to see, I swam as hard as I could down the 25 meeter pool praying that I wouldn’t be last.

Somehow, in my mad sprint not to be last, I had managed to beat all of my competition to the wall.

It was here that I learned, for the first time, that when you aren’t able to size up the competition, sometimes, that gives you the freedom to focus on your own race and you can actually put in your all.

My faith has always been integral to my character but in high school, it became personal. I was beginning to think about colleges and what I wanted to do with my life when I read Proverbs 16:3: Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established”.

Side note: I am a planner. I love having my calendar and check list and I have no greater satisfaction that checking something of my to-do list.

As a planner and a perfectionist, I already knew how to work but the reason behind my work changed as I considered this verse. My new goal in life was to serve my Creator and to live with the intention of discovering His purpose for my life – and being brave enough to lean into it.

While I knew the “why” – I still had a long way to go before I would start to understand the “what” behind my career. And let’s be real, I’m just beginning to figure it out.

The most important step in any journey is beginning and in order to begin you need a launch pad. Enter my time at Clemson. I came in a hopeful, but completely unskilled Computer Science major – technically, Computer Information Systems but no one knows what that is. In my intro course, I realized I enjoyed the more visual aspect of technology as opposed to the coding. I should have changed my major then and there but I was stubborn and felt like I had a point to prove. I was connected with a UI/UX designer who introduced me to the Brand Communications minor which would end up being one of the most influential experiences of my college career.

I got involved with the student-led agency, Cadency and got hands-on industry experience where I realized that my job could not only be one where I build relationships with those I work alongside, but also could impact culture.

It wouldn’t be a good student of psychology if I didn’t mention something about mental health.

Going back to comparison, entering into this career. Realizing it is something I am passionate about and pursuing it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am an introvert, I have social anxiety and OCD, I am often the quiet one in the room because I am processing, or more often then not, I shoot down my ideas before I share them. I am a work in progress.

But I believe there is a place for me here. There is a reason I am starting a job in this field after graduation and I am excited for the adventure and challenge that it holds.

I am thankful for so many people who have believed in me on each part of my journey who have pushed and encouraged me past where I believed I could go.