By Sara Payne
I remember my first day of school. My mom dressed me up in a white dress with a sailboat on the bottom. It had a cute ribbon at the top. With my pink cabbage patch kids lunch box, I strolled in to Mrs. Baggett?s Kindergarten class, passing by the crying children clinging to their mothers and confidently parking myself in the front row. This was the first day of my adult life, I thought.
The next year, I became even cooler. I knew how to read, and I could add two numbers larger than one hundred.
Growing up, I always loved school. I felt invincible because I knew how to count money. I felt powerful because I could write a short story. Each grade I passed through felt like a promotion. I was climbing the scholarship ladder. When my admissions acceptance letter arrived from BYU on Dec. 26, 2001, I felt like I had hit my peak. I was on top of the world: I had limitless opportunities and life couldn?t get much better. Then I came to BYU.
I enjoyed the freedom and independence associated with college. I met some of the most interesting people from around the world. But I had already reached my peak. When I was accepted into this school I thought life couldn?t get any better, and my attitude toward college reflected this. I became embittered and frustrated with school.
Gone were the days of cute, white dresses and pink lunch boxes, they were replaced by faded hoodies and a signature card. School wasn?t for learning; it was for leaving. All I wanted to do was graduate from this place that suffocated me and sucked all the life and time out of my soul.
So I signed up for more than 20 credit hours, attended classes in the spring and summer and geared up for graduation this April (a year before my expected graduation). But then, I started freaking out at the prospect of leaving here. Although I despised BYU, it was my security blanket and I had no clue what I would do after graduation. So I decided to scale back my credit hours and take the rest later. In the meantime, I used the time to figure out my purpose after school.
This has turned out to be the best decision I?ve made so far. I?ve been able to get the most out of my BYU experience. And now, more doors are opening form. I have two internships lined up for this summer. I have a job offer and a tentative marriage offer. I feel like I?m at the pinnacle of my life now. And I wonder: Could it get much better than this?