Call me a dork, but I love random stats

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/08/29/education/schoollarge.jpg

finding my way

It amazes me how scrutinizingly painful very small changes are as they take place in life, but how easily relatively large shifts come about.

I spent most of the summer realizing that I already know who I am as a person, and trying to figure out then what it is I want out of life. While I'm sure I haven't gotten there completely yet, things seem to have fallen into place and everything just fits. I've decided to reorganize and re-prioritize what I want for my future. The hardest part has been realizing that I cannot do even close to everything I want to do in my lifetime. I think that has always been the hardest part for me.

I've learned to let go of certain dreams, like studying abroad, in order to make room for new dreams, such as picking up a minor and getting more involved on campus. I definitely still want to join the Peace Corps after graduation, but then I will have to face the fork in the road of deciding between Teach for America, grad school, or starting a "real" job. The last two will inevitably happen at some point, I just need to figure out what order will get me to where I want to be.

I'm still struggling with where exactly I want to be (not geographically, but career wise), but I know that I want to work with Education Policy and educational reform. I'm torn between if I want to work to change the education system as a whole or if I want to focus my thoughts on a specific area of education, like special education. Regardless, this is the first time I feel confident about my direction and like I am in the right place at the right time. I'm sad that I won't be able to live it up in Amsterdam for a semester, but I think I need to be here at Cornell right now and trust that the Peace Corps will fulfill the international experience I crave.