I still find it hard to believe that in one month I will be 2,800 miles away in the city of Ithaca, New York. If you were to ask me two years ago when I graduated high school that I would be attending Cornell University, I would have laughed, and thought you were on crack cocaine or some crazy hallucinagenic drug.

I will never forget that fateful afternoon, sitting in the counselor’s office my second semester at Moorpark College, and hearing her talk about how I should consider transferring to a Cal State because she did not think I would have a chance to get into a UC.

At the point in time, I had a 2.8 GPA, and already knew I had to turn it around. You see, people shouldn’t reiterate something we already know. Instead they should motivate us to climb that mountain, and survive those peaks and valleys.

Let me tell you: that counselor did not discourage me. Rather she was the fuel to my fire to turn my grades around. What she also did not know is that I was switching majors, and the majority of classes I took that first year were science or history classes. One year later, I finished my last semester with straight A’s and finished my two years at Moorpark with a 3.69 GPA. Look at me now counselor!

And even more ironic, the one Cal State school I applied to (Fullerton) had me waitlisted! Every time I got down, or wanted to give up giving it my all in my classes, some of which did not appeal to me at all, I thought of Cornell, and what an accomplishment it would be; to be able to say you got accepted to an Ivy League school.

I’m going to tell you right now: Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Counselors discourage rather than encourage you to go the extra mile. We need motivation in our lives, and taking the easy way out is usually not the best option. If someone tells you to reach for the sky, you need to tell them that you will shoot for the moon.

I am truly excited for the opportunities that await me. And that’s the best way to constantly keep yourself motivated. Think of a place you can go, or somewhere you thought you could never be, and that will get you through the peaks and valleys, knowing that when times are hard, you can always get yourself to a better place.

I thank all of my friends and family for the unconditional support. Ithaca, I think I am ready for you, even if that includes a very brutal winter. Bring it on!