SOCIAL MOVE INSPIRES LIFE PATH
We make many personal investments during the course of our lives that can determine the kind of life we lead. For me, education has always been an important factor in how I gauged my personal success: doing well in school meant I was setting myself up to succeed later.
My educational career, oddly enough, took several twists and turns, starting when I moved across the country after third grade. A new school for fourth, fifth, and sixth grades kept me on my toes and my social life fairly tame. My mother began working at a private school when I was in sixth grade, so I transferred to that school partway through that year.
I found educational stability in private schools thanks to the smaller class sizes and overall knowledge of the students and teachers. I was challenged, and I liked that. The problem was, the private school was very far from my home, and my mother worried that I would have trouble having much of a social life in the high school years. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or what to study in college. The private school offered a better education and the chance to study at more prestigious universities, but the public school would help me form more friendships.
My decision to switch back to the public school system was an investment in my future in a different way.
But the thing about going back to public school that was a complete surprise was how it would position the next ten years of my educational life and professional aspirations.
It turns out that the music program at my school was superb and put the private school’s program to shame. I fell in love with music and performance and would go on to major in music in college.
If I hadn't gone back to public school, I never would have truly discovered my love for music—an activity that would define my young adulthood.
To this day I am still actively involved in musical activities, both performing in ensembles and teaching others. Studying music not only taught me a specific craft, but it also provided me with several lessons in leadership, teamwork, and more.
Looking back on my decision to switch from private school to public school, it is hard for me to imagine my life without music and the education I received in high school and college. The investment I originally made in my social life provided one of the most surprising returns for my educational career and for who I am today.
