I’ve never been one for the traditional route, especially when it comes to academics. It started way back in adolescence. I tried on the homeschooling program for size in sixth grade. That wasn’t exactly my cup of tea and so I transferred from homeschool into a public middle school. In high school, I had a unique “magnet” creative/performing arts experience. It was anything but typical. It didn’t end there. For college, I started off with community college and then transferred to Juniata.

Juniata College was supposed to be my traditional experience. As I approach the end of my academic career here, I continue to reflect on just how untraditional it has been.

I didn’t end up here by mistake. I ended up here because it’s was the next piece of my puzzle. I searched for a four year university when I was in community college because I wanted to be like everyone else. I wanted to go away for college. I wanted to get the dorming experience, the meal plan, the activities, and the clubs–all that stuff that community college just didn’t have. I wanted to create lasting relationships with professors, students, and faculty. I knew exactly what I was looking for. When I signed up for Juniata, I was signing up to finally get my traditional experience.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Juniata college is anything but your average everyday college. It wasn’t soon after enrolling that I was individualizing my POE and mixing choir with newspaper all while planning on going into speech pathology and taking a service trip to the Dominican because, why not? Psychology and education can go together because I want them to, not because the school told me they have to. It didn’t take me long to realize that untraditional experiences find me because I’m just an untraditional person, just another Juniatian keeping Juniata weird. Juniata College has taught me many things, but most of all to love myself for who I truly am because it will always shine through in our personalities, and especially in our decisions.