May 2026

Follow Your Heart

I've always wondered what people mean by "following your heart instead of your head." Recently, I've come to know of it all too well. The decision in front of me offered two paths. One would allow me to continue excelling in areas that I had developed a knack for in high school. The other could be described as a wild card, even unproven. Yet the more I learned about the path, the more I became sure of its fit and how it would allow me to grow as a person.

So what did I choose come decision time? The former. The more proven option. The more secure option. Minutes later, the first tingles of regret came creeping in, and in the days that followed, those feelings rushed open like a dam breaking loose.

It felt as if a part of me had broken. The value for agency that I had prided myself on seemed to have slipped away. Before middle school, I was accepted to one of NYC's top magnet schools. My parents allowed me the privelege of choice: stay in NYC or move to Westchester. I chose the latter. Before senior year, I faced the choice of attending a well known, "proven-for-college-applications" summer program or spend ten weeks interning at Autodesk while living independently. Again, I chose the latter. There has been a pattern in my life of choosing the unproven, riskier path that has allowed me to explore more freely. The path on the left was where logic rested, whereas the path on the right was where my heart beckoned.

During my decision process, I had many conversations with people who walked each path, but I never took the time to converse with myself. And that's my greatest takeaway from this entire experience. Your gut feeling isn't naivety. It is a real and geniune sign of what choice will allow you to not only succeed conventionally, but to feel fulfilled emotionally as well.

Thankfully, this story closes on a positive note. Being at the mercy of others for something that was once within reach has to be one of the worst human feelings. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to turn back time and rewrite my own path. Now, I will embark the journey with full conviction and no regrets. I know I was extraordinary fortunate this time, and as the hourglass of my youth continues to empty, I understand that those second chances will not always come so easily. In the coming years, I'm sure there will be more exciting yet agonizing choices to be made. Let this be a reminder to myself and anyone facing a tough decision: trust your gut and follow your heart.