Changing Course

Before I came to BYU, I attended one year at the University of Utah. I was enrolled in the business school and my plan was to pursue a career in accounting. During my second semester there I took a general English class in order to fulfill a requirement without much thought. Throughout the course of that semester, however, we discussed a lot of literary themes and their representation of modern issues that I hadn’t quite anticipated. The things we discussed changed my view of issues I had felt so sure about. Until that point, I hadn’t realized the importance of literature in presenting ideas and progressing certain ideals. In a class with such diversity of students, there were opinions that came from many different backgrounds that weren’t familiar to me. This course opened my eyes and made me think about what was important to me and not see the world in such a binary way. It allowed me to see the influence of God in so many lies and how present he can be at all times. I learned that modern media and literature had a much greater effect on people than I initially thought. This motivated me to change the course of my studies and career and changed the type of professional life I want to lead.

Over the next year I found my self at a new school, in a new environment, and studying new subjects. All of this happened because of the trust I had to place in God to guide me in the right direction. The eye-opening experience of seeing the great influence the study of literature can have on lives and the way we think as a society lead to me to where I am today.  It has certainly changed the way I live and the happier path I have chosen to pursue.