I started my education journey in the year 2008. I was a little four-year old girl ready to start learning like my older brother. I do not remember my first couple years of school, since I was so young, but I remember always feeling happy to learn something new. My favorite subjects were reading and writing. I could write for days and I was reading a book every single chance I got. My favorite days in elementary school were Fridays, because that day was library day. I got to pick out a new book to read and reading always captivated me, how I could get lost in words on a page. As the years went on, I started to read and write less on my own time since we had to do it so much in school, it lost the appeal to me. In my middle and high school years, I still loved learning, but I was ready to be done and my learning experience to be over. Those years were stressful, preparing for college and ensuring you have the right grades to get into the college you want, all while figuring out which major you want to pick for the rest of your life. Thankfully, I was able to manage a 3.8 GPA in high school with all the additional stressors in my life. After high school, I chose to go to community college, because I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life and this seemed like the best route. I am so glad I chose community college because it allowed me to fall back into love with learning, reading, and writing. Without the stress of high school, I was able to do school at my own pace and take different classes to see what I liked. I took a creative writing class and a social media marketing class, which I fell in love with both. After I graduated with my AA degree from Valencia college, I decided to continue my education at University of Massachusetts Global. I chose Communication and Digital Media as my degree, because I was able to write and do social media marketing with this degree. As I am finishing up my degree right now, I look back at my educational journey with pride. I had many ups and downs, but I was able to power through it. I had great teachers and professors guiding me through my degree and I wouldn’t change anything about my journey. I felt embarrassed the first time I admitted I didn’t want to go to a four-year school, because that is such a normal thing to do in America for kids after high school. Many high school students are so focused on going straight into a four-year college, but sometimes that is not always the best route for them. When I reflect back on my educational journey, I hope people see how I am living proof that not everyone needs to go to a four-year university. I went to a community college first and then a four-year university, and I am still going to graduate with my bachelor's degree!