Laura's Bio

Wrong Turn

I believe that every decision you make takes you down a path that another decision
would never have taken you to. It is usually unlikely that one knows what lies ahead on
that path once you have started down it. The adventure of the journey is the unknown.
Decisions made sometimes may seem right at first because of what you envision at the
end. However, as you begin the journey, new choices and decisions present themselves
to further complicate or make your initial decision become more rooted and committed.

I was 17 years old and enrolled as a fine arts major at Alfred University in the valley of
the Allegheny Mountains of New York. My parents just dropped me off with all of my
belongings, which wasn’t very much at my dormitory. While I witnessed other students
cry as their parents drove off, I felt excited and ready to start this new beginning. I was
a runner and joined the cross-country team. I liked how my medium-length brown pony
tail bounced from side to side as I ran around campus and the small town in which it was
located in. Life was exciting at the moment as I was pursuing my dreams of becoming
a painter or a potter someday. I equally liked both art mediums. My parents were also
both very supportive of my career path although they were a little hesitant at first. I was
confident in my abilities because I was given the sole art award from my high school
during my senior year. I liked all my classes although some really challenged my ideas
of art until that one day in my professor’s office.

It was a Wednesday morning at the end of the first semester. I had carried my large,
heavy black portfolio down from my dorm room to present my work to my professor. It
was filled with numerous drawings and paintings from the entire semester. I was eager
for a response of my work from my much admired professor. I proudly unzipped my
portfolio and turned to my first drawing. There was a silent pause. And then, he closed
folded the portfolio shut and looked at me. I will never forget the words he spoke to me
that morning. He said that he didn’t need to look at my work because he can not take me
seriously until I take myself seriously as an artist. He advised me to cut off my ponytail,
dye my hair, get a couple piercings and a few tattoos. I was stunned and mortified. The
meeting was over. I left ashamed, confused, and angry and I didn’t know what to do. I
just took it all in and sadly enough began to believe him.

I never cut off my ponytail or dyed my hair and never got a tattoo. That wasn’t who I
was and I didn’t want to become an imposter. I liked how I looked and I didn’t want
to change because someone told me to. But little did I know, that he did change me in
a different way in that moment whether I liked it or not. I finished my first year as a
fine arts major, but returned the next year as a Ceramic Engineering student. I guess
my appearance fit that mold better. The transition into Engineering wasn’t difficult
academically because I earned strong grades in math and science during high school.
However, emotionally the transition was very difficult as I dropped a pottery class for
Chemistry and painting for Calculus. My decision over the course of the summer forever
changed the direction of my life. I finished my degree in Engineering with honors and
began to work for a manufacturing facility for four years. Throughout my time as a
student and a professional in the engineering world, I felt empty. It didn’t fill me up
and I just didn’t care about it. It wasn’t terrible, but just not right for me. I searched
and searched my soul to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life because I
knew I couldn’t work as an engineer anymore. I thought maybe I would apply to Med-
School or maybe work towards an MBA but none of them felt right for me. I still loved
art, but was afraid of it now.

One morning, I met my sister for breakfast and she told me that she thought I would
be an excellent art teacher. At first, I dismissed the idea because I didn’t think it was
prestigious enough, but then the idea lingered in my mind for days, weeks, and months.
The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me. I went for it. I quit my
job and returned back to school to attain a Masters in Art Education. I would become an
art teacher who inspires students to achieve their dreams no matter what they looked like.