“Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere.”

I always knew I did not want a conventional job.

While the other kids were stressing about the SAT and college applications, I was thinking of business ideas. While other kids did CIP in the hospital and other “normal” jobs, I chose to do mine with a local small business. While other kids answered the “what do you want to be when you grow up” question with “logical” answers such as nurse, doctor, lawyer, etc I would answer with “not sure but I know I do not want to work a 9-5 for someone else—if I’m going to work hard, it will be for myself”. It raised lots of eyebrows and was met with tons of discouragement.

While I 100% believe in and support college for people that want jobs where a degree is necessary, I absolutely do not agree with the narrative that if you choose a different path aside from college you will automatically not be successful. This is just not true.

Schools should do better in nurturing the future entrepreneurs of the world instead of shoving college down the throats of all high school students. Schools spend too much valuable time trying to teach fish to climb trees. Instead, nurture the inventive minds of those willing to think outside of the box. Did you know that one in eight billionaires are college drop outs?

I was not the smartest in my class by a long shot. In fact, I failed math and took summer school several years throughout middle and high school. My teachers, at best, wrote me off. In the academic arena, I would have too. However, I knew what I wanted. Instead of spending my time working towards my goals, I had to fail publicly and humiliatingly academically.

Why are we doing this to America’s youth? I hope in my life time I get to see a change in the system to nurture kids in the path best suited to the individual. 💜

“Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere. Where they said I’d never be is exactly where I am.” 💜🌵