I started as a microbiology major, then I switched to business, but that wasn’t quite right either. All the while, I was taking the range of courses required by the Miami Plan; I chose classes in sociology, anthropology, physics, and astronomy.

Then, during the second semester of my sophomore year, I went to an "Exploring Majors" fair. An adviser there asked me about the classes I had taken so far and which ones I truly loved. I said sociology and anthropology so she directed me to representatives of those majors. I went over to the sociology table, and right next to it was the gerontology table. I’ve always had a passion for older people, and the graduate student at the gerontology table convinced me that I could be marketable in a range of careers with a gerontology degree.

Next, I made an appointment with Jennifer Kinney, the gerontology adviser. She was a breath of fresh air after microbiology and business. With those majors, I was a tiny fish in a huge sea, but gerontology is small. She even said, "Welcome to the family," when I decided to change my major.

Professor Kinney told me about "Opening Minds Through Art," a service learning project that brings together Miami students and senior citizens with dementia. For a semester, I traveled once a week to Cedar Village, a nursing home near Cincinnati, and worked with several older people on abstract art projects. I was apprehensive at first. I was worried I might do something wrong and they might start crying or something. But it was a blast. I really felt like I was making a difference in their lives.

After that experience, I left Oxford for a semester to study in Luxembourg. No one in my family has done that. My brother’s biggest regret was that he didn’t study abroad, so I was determined to go.

Now that I’m back on campus, I’m taking more gerontology classes. Despite having had three different majors, I’ll still graduate on time. My plan is to either go to graduate school or work in a nursing home or do both.