I can remember being a freshmen, green to the world and the college experience. I had absolutely no clue what my major was going to be, but I knew this was the place I was going to find out.
You see, San Marcos, TX and Texas State University stole my heart when I was 16 and we evacuated to Wimberley, TX from hurricane Rita. My dad will you tell you that was the dumbest thing we did , because evacuating to a house with a river in the back yard wouldn't have been helpful if we had gotten any part of the storm. But I think it was fate. I believe certain places have a soul, a presence that speaks to you and you will never get what it tells you out of your head. From the moment we arrived, I fell in love. The hill country is where I wanted to call home. But I digress.
A semester in, I had changed my major in my head several times. Aquatic biology, math, education and music were just a few of the majors I had at one point decided on. My parents can tell you just how upset this made me, because they were the one's who got the crying phone calls from a confused college student. I count my blessing every single damn day that I had parents who were patient enough to 1. Let me make my own mistakes and 2. for never hanging up on me during those stressful, tear-filled phone calls.
With a lot of stress, tears and love I made it through my first year at Texas State. I remember being very proud and astonished. 18 is very young to be out on your own. Sophomore year was a blur, I made mistakes I wish I could take back, including a boyfriend and an awful hair cut.
Junior year was my year, I made the Dean's list and had finally chosen and officially declared my major - public relations. I felt like that subject had Caitlyn written all over it. But it included four semesters of a foreign language. It was then that I realized how shitty some of the classes I had to take would be. Including the evil, Espanol. I also got my first internship. This was the year that I had to repeat in my head the words my dad often spoke to me, "A degree shows so much more than an education. It's about perseverance. Every year, semester and day there will be a reason to quit." I never felt like I had an option of being a college graduate, which is by no means a bad thing. I feel beyond blessed to have a family who is supportive enough to make sure I receive an education. But coming from a family where your grandmother and grandfather are engineers and so is your dad, and uncles - yea, there's a little pressure. But the pressure came more or less from knowing that your grandma fought tooth and nail to be a woman with a degree. Not to mention your dad spending 14 years in college because he had a family and two jobs. How could I disappoint them? What was my excuse? I had nothing stopping me.
A lot happened in between my junior and senior year. I had my first real heart break, realized that people will disappoint you and regained my faith in God. The summer was sprinkled with mini panic attacks about my future. Again, lots of tears.
Senior year is about 1/3 finished. This fact absolutely terrifies me. The rest remains to be unseen, which is totally scary, amazing and perfect.
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