A Dream Come True
When I was younger, my brother gave me a poster from one of his soccer magazines. To most, this would seem like a small thing. After all, kids save posters and random papers all the time. But this poster was different. For the next ten years, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team hung above my closet door, inspiring me through every achievement.
Although I love soccer, I myself am not very athletic. I never aspired to be a professional soccer player. In fact, my aspirations were pretty fluid. Archeologist. Psychologist. Mathematician. When you're constantly finding new interests, there may not be a constant female role model in your own field (especially since you're not even sure what you want your field to be). So instead, I looked up to this group of women on my wall who would never share a career path with me, but motivated me nonetheless.
As I got further into college and discovered a passion for accounting, I never forgot the team of women who inspired me to dream big and go after what I want in life. I cheered them on in the World Cup. I felt my heart swell with pride when they fought for equal pay. And last Thursday, I finally got to see them play in person.
By some miracle, I won discounted tickets in the OSU ticket lottery to go see the "She Believes Cup" in Columbus. And when Megan Rapinoe, my favorite player, scored the only goal of the game, I knew without a doubt that Columbus and the MAcc program are exactly where I need to be. Out of all of my experiences this year, this is the moment that I truly felt like I had come full circle-- back to that little girl who dreamed big and went after what she wanted.
This fall, I start my career as an auditor. I will be the first person in my family to have a bachelor's degree and the first to earn a master's degree. I will be living in a major city that I have grown to love. I will meet strong women in my own field. And on my phone will be a picture of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team to remind me to dream big and go after my goals.