Hello! So Nice to Finally Meet You. 

Believe it or not, I did not immediately know what career path I wanted to pursue as soon as I was born. For most people, they have an inkling of where they want to go in life and whom they want to be which can be great sometimes! For me on the other hand, it took a lot of trial and error to get to where I am now. I went from wanting to be a vet, to a teacher, to a choreographer, and even to a baker! It was not until my junior year in high school that I figured out what I wanted to do, and I figured it out in my Personal Finance course of all places. I had to complete a career research project where I had to take all of the career quizzes and surveys under the sun and find my match. Eventually, I stumbled upon a career I had never heard of: genetic counseling.

 

I had always had an interest in genetics, but I did not know how I could apply that passion and interest into a career. I thought I could be a genetic engineer, but I realized that a lab setting was not the right choice for me. I thought about becoming a geneticist, but I did not want to endure the difficult undertaking of 4 additional years of medical school and having to deal with the financial burden of doing so. Genetic counseling seemed like the perfect compromise for me. It perfectly combined my excitement for genetics as well as my desire to improve the lives of others. It allowed me to pursue a career that I only have to obtain a master’s degree for where I am able to utilize a patient’s genetics to identify a patient’s probability of getting certain diseases or disorders. Then, I can recommend different options as to what the patient can do to be preventative and to modify their lifestyle, so they do not end up developing certain diseases and disorders.

 

After solidifying my career path, everything else in my life seemed to fall into place. I felt more confident about who I was and how I wanted to grow during my time in college. I felt more determined to be the best I could be and to put 100% of my energy towards things that were important to me. Throughout my undergraduate program thus far, I have been able to meet some of the most influential people in my life and have found the motivation to seek leadership positions that have shaped me into a more well-rounded student and person. Without all of these things, I question how things would have turned out for me now. I am grateful to have established a solid plan for myself and I am eager to see how that anticipated future actually turns out.