“Lights, Camera, Action!” The stage lights from above blinded me. The cool draught could be felt between my fingers. At this point, my heartbeat was the loudest thing in the room; louder than a cross-country train zooming past. I could taste all the infinite atoms in my mouth: ‘This is it.’ My mind raced back to the previous weeks where I successfully failed to prioritize. I was well aware that my Grade 5 Guildhall drama exam was coming up. However, my mind was elsewhere. In addition, being a first year International Student in a private single sex boarding school in England, I was determined to fit in socially. I did not want to be known as the strange girl from Ghana. The examiners eyes were burning into my very being. I had my monologue memorized. I was confident about it. I had practiced it about 4 times throughout the preceding night. I had been up all night learning it. ‘Read, remember, and repeat.’ Surely that was enough. It was my destiny to be an actress, it was even written under my profile in the book of life. I was sure of it. For me, growing up in Ghana was far from undesirable. I lived in a decent bungalow in a very pleasant neighbourhood with my family. The last born among 3 kids from my mother; the problem child- that’s what I was known as, dramatic and all over the place. So it did not come as a surprise to my family when my ambitions changed from wanting to be an airhostess to wanting to be on the big screen. My life took a drastic turn when I was 9 years old. After all the fighting, the screaming and the tears. My mother finally moved out and left, to the USA and within a year, a young, attractive and successful lawyer filled her place; my very own ‘step-monster’ it seemed. I mean, who would want to marry my father, an old man confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life? The lights faded, I regained my sight and smiling faces filled the auditorium. I was in a state of euphoria. The sound of the claps filled my ears. From that moment onwards, I knew I wanted to be on stage, I wanted to perform. I was not meant to have a ‘9-5’ desk job; I needed to be out there. I needed to make myself up into a very successful, wealthy woman. I needed to create the life I wanted for myself. After my step-mom had her child, my life was playing in fast-forward. I sat through countless long and dreary math and science classes; the worst of them all. I found joy in: taking photographs, organizing events, meeting all kinds of people, sketching portraits in my spare time and travelling. Learning about new cultures was always exciting. Who knew the world consisted of so many diverse beings? ‘What are you going to do after high school?’ Every time I was asked this question I would come to the realization that an answer was urgently required and every time I sincerely tried to answer it, I would take more steps back than forward. The pressure of being as successful as my older sister who had her master’s degree in oil and gas law at the age of 23 weighed on me constantly. The majority of my classmates knew before they came out of the womb that they wanted to be: accountants, doctors and lawyers. There was only one thing I was certain about; I was definitely not going to allow myself to be stuck in University studying something I had no interest in pursuing as a career afterwards. During my high school years, my life and the choices I made were greatly (if not completely) influenced by my parents. After high school, I was going to be in control. Faith Montessori School opened up the option to me of going to University in the US rather than in the UK. I would be able to choose a major as well as minors rather than being forced to make a definite choice immediately. The question still stood, ‘What are you going to do after high school?’ After numerous college fairs and nearly giving up on the idea of finding the ‘perfect’ school for me, I discovered Columbia. The opportunity to major in Public Relations and take minors in Photography and Acting would be more than ideal. Coming to this realization gave me my second ‘eureka!’ moment in years. I unfortunately cannot deny the fact the Business classes I pretended to dislike so much pushed me towards my final decision to major in PR. I am finally certain of what I wanted to do with my future.