This year has been crazy to say the least. I thought my senior year of college would look a whole lot different: living off campus, producing a radio show, going to Keeneland, tailgate at the football games and make memories that would last forever. Needless to say, this was all put on hold.

Back in March, I moved out of my dorm room at the University of Kentucky and to say the least, I was devastated. I dreamed of going to school here for my whole life and I felt like my spring semester was being robbed from me.

I thought that this pandemic was only going to last for 2 weeks. Then April went by. . .then June. . .then August. The whole summer I was going back and forth about what I was going to do about school. Do I go back to Lexington and sit in my room and do online school? Or do I stay home and take a class or two and work and make money?

This decision was extremely hard for me to decide on. I’ve always been pretty hard on myself growing up and I am very goal oriented. I always told myself that I want to graduate college in 4 years. I’ve always liked school, but I wanted to get out and work and make a living for myself as soon as possible. I thought that if it took me more time to get my degree, I was a failure and that I was wasting time if it look me longer to get a diploma. This lingered in my mind all summer long.

In the back of my mind, there was a little voice in my head saying “Don’t go. You are worth more than that.” At the end of July, all of my classes were moved to online and that’s when I really knew I needed to just stay home. I believe in life you need to do what feels right to you. If you are currently attending school and loving it, that’s great! If you are currently at home, deciding what you are going to do next semester, that’s okay! Doing what’s best for you is going to make you so much happier than just going with what everyone else is doing.

I think it is really important to have self worth and know what you deserve. Don’t settle for something just because you want it in the moment. Taking the fall semester off of school and staying home was a really tough decision, but I don’t regret it one bit. I know my worth and I know I deserve the best experience possible at UK. Online classes are great and I’m glad students have that option, but online classes don’t work if they are suppose to be hands on.

My major take away from taking the semester off is to just focus on the good and to just let go. Let go of “the plan” you had hoped for and just enjoy the ride. Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations and road blocks make the journey that much sweeter. In times of doubt and worry, it is so important to know that God has a plan for you and it is bigger than you can ever imagine. Trust the process and let go.

If you are feeling stressed or lost, just know that you are not alone. I don’t know what the spring semester will look like and I’m not sure if I will go back to UK or still stay home. I am just keeping my options open and hoping that this all settles down by then.

Show some love on my Instagram or drop a comment if you have feelings of uncertainty 🧡