In life, we have to make so many decisions. Sometimes they are easy, like deciding what to eat for dinner, but sometimes they are harder, knowing that the choice you make can affect your whole life. 

I recently stood face to face with one of the biggest decisions I have ever had to make; deciding what college to go to. I know it seems early considering I’m still a junior, but with sports you have to commit to a school and accept the scholarship, otherwise they will give it to somebody else. I got full ride offers from 3 schools, the University of Missouri, the University of Minnesota, and the United States Air Force Academy. 

I’ve always wanted to be a pilot, so of course, the Air Force Academy seemed like a great option. But at the same time, it’s a military school and their gymnastics team wasn’t as high level as the other two. Picking USAFA would be a huge commitment and I would be committing to serving in the Air Force after college, but I could have a chance to live out my dream. I would have a guaranteed job right out of college and I would be paid just for going there. 

On the other hand, at the University of Missouri and the University of Minnesota I would probably not become a pilot, but I would be competing for really good teams. They both have high level gymnastics, and I would be a normal college student. 

For a while, I had no idea which one I was going to choose, they were all really good schools for different reasons. I knew that Mizzou or Minnesota would be easier and that USAFA was an intense school, but it would set me up for life and I would get to be a part of something bigger than myself. I thought to myself, I want to do something good with my life, something meaningful. I was afraid that if I picked one of the other two, I would regret missing out on the opportunity to attend the Academy. 

So, after constantly thinking about it for weeks, I finally decided on the Air Force Academy. I called the coach to let her know that I had made my decision and she was thrilled. It felt so good to finally have that weight off of my shoulders and not be kept up at night anymore trying to figure out what to do. But sometimes I still question if I made the right decision. I wonder, Did I do it because I wanted to, or because I thought it was the right thing to do? But, at the end of the day, I know that I did make the right decision and it feels good to know that I’m going to be doing something good with my life.