“My parents didn’t go to college, but they said, ‘You’re going to college.’ I had no idea what I was going to do, and ended up majoring in what my sister was majoring in, because it looked like something I wanted to do. Luckily, it worked out for me and happened to be a great fit.

“I think that students and parents need to rethink the focus for direction in school to be more around what are they passionate about; what they would be interested in doing for the rest of their lives. Because, yes- the paycheck is important, but it’s also important to love what you do, because you’re going to be working for a long time. You know, students will generally find their way into what they’re really interested in and I think that that’s really important. Build on the skills that you have and do what you enjoy!

“Also as a mom of a fourteen year-old right now, I want him to enjoy what he does and I want to play off of his strengths. He’s very math-minded, but that doesn’t mean he has to go that route. He’s also very creative, so I’m kind of leaving it open for him to try and figure that out.”