It’s official. I’ve been accepted to my top choice college. And I have every intention of going. Why wouldn’t I? I worked very hard to get to where I’m at right now. I’ve fought against stereotypes and personal hardships. And I’ve done it all without giving up. Contemplating my own good news, I began to wonder how my friends were fairing. One friend got accepted her choice early on. She’s intending on moving as soon as possible. Another friend got into her choice college but is worrying about how to pay for the private college tuition that will eat a hole in her parents’ pockets. In both cases, however they know what they want to do with their lives. I am also in that category. I’ve changed my mind before but I feel like I finally have a plan before me that makes absolute sense and will make me happy. I know what my goals are in life. I intend to fill them. I wish I could say this was true for everyone. One of my very dear friends is forgoing college. She’s giving up. What else is there for her to do when she didn’t take the ACT? I know exactly what her life will turn into. I’m sure she can see it coming too. After all, she plans on getting married in a couple of years. And, while she talks about starting college the year after next, we both know that she won’t do it. She’ll end up working two jobs that pay minimum wage, something her husband might also end up doing. That is if they don’t kill themselves first. She’s already content in giving up any semblance of a dream for her life. She had a goal of being a fashion designer once. That’s no longer the case. She would rather sit at home working on the latest Stephanie Meyers novel or watching anime in between calls from her boyfriend. I try to get her interested in other things, but nothing sticks. Is it wrong of me to try and force her to see she has potential? Is it wrong for me to tell her to quit being lazy? She’s one person I know that has potential and refuses to use it. I’ve seen people in much worse situations than she is in. They’ve made it through. They’ve made a life for themselves. I constantly try and tell her little things that could make her excited about her future. I asked if she wanted helping applying for an art school. I told her she didn’t even really need to go to college to do what she wanted (though it would probably help). I’ve asked her if she wanted to audition with me for plays, if she wanted to check out the school newspaper, if I could look at her latest drawings. Nothing seems to motivate her. Without motivation, especially at this point in our lives, many of us would end up doing nothing. Relaxation would cease to be a treat in between pack classes and become something too commonplace to even care about. I see this becoming the trend with her. And I wish there was something more I could to get her to see that she shouldn’t let her potential go to waste.