Photography by Eunice Beck
Top: H&M // Boyfriend Jeans: Forever 21 // Earrings: Shashi
2017 so far, has been all about personal growth for me. In 2015, I graduated with my bachelors degree, but after I finished my degree, I wasn’t exactly sure what God had planned for me in all aspects of life. I sort of felt lost. I had always had a plan in place since I was in high school, of what I was going to do with my career (along with parts of my personal life) and the steps I needed to take to get there. But after taking those steps, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be. God’s plan was clearly different from my own. The summer of 2016 rolled around and I began to do some soul searching. At that time, I knew I was supposed to be doing more. I just knew that there was more to my life. It was then that I decided to go back to school and pursue my masters degree, even though I had ZERO intentions of actually continuing my education after undergrad. That August, God put it on my heart to go to Arizona. I had no idea why, and I actually thought that idea was kind of crazy. I tried to ignore the thought of moving again, especially to a state that I have never visited before and to a place where I knew absolutely no one. Although I was originally trying to ignore the idea, after a lot of prayers, I gave it all to God and moved out to Arizona the following month. Moving at the same time that I started graduate school was quite overwhelming, but once I settled in, I began to fall in love with my new home and excel in my masters program. Moving out to a new city and not knowing anyone at first was definitely hard for me, but I’m so thankful for the amazing people that I’ve met in Arizona since. Looking back, I’m so glad that I made the decision to move out to Arizona on my own. I’ve grown in SO many ways, and I’ve gotten the chance to explore and enjoy a place that I probably wouldn’t have even experienced otherwise. Everything about my move and growth process in the last year hasn’t been easy. I had to make a lot of tough decisions, but now looking back I know that I made the right choices. Going forward, I’m really excited to see what the rest of 2017 has in store for me!
So my suggestion to you is to fully embrace your journey, and get the most out of your life experiences. Your specific journey may not be exactly what you had in mind, but just know that everything happens for a reason.