Growing up, I always knew I was different. Not different in a normal sense of the word, but a way that was hard to embrace until I reached a mature enough age. An age where I understood what it meant for me as a person. Independence. That one word has been the single-most defining trait in my personality for as long as I can remember. What once was a word that simply meant I could play well alone, has now morphed into an endless supply of confidence and clarity in my life. I know what I want and I know that Sarah Lawrence is the next step in my journey to getting it.
I first became interested in designing games after my high school announced they were hosting seminars for anyone curious in the subject as a career path. Making the choice to take a chance and entertain my curious nature was difficult at first. My hands were heavy enough as it was with extracurriculars activities.
I’ve spent a great amount of time volunteering to coach kids at my local roller hockey rink. Also, I invested a large amount of time into my schools swim team, and at one point, I even represented my school in our district swim meet competitions. But something in the back of my mind told me to check the seminar out myself and from there, I could decide what needed to be done next. In retrospect, It was the best decision I have made because after that first seminar, I knew that designing games was what I really wanted to do with my life.
I signed up for every seminar there after but I kept finding myself wanting more. It felt like the seminars were never enough to satiate my desire to learn. I quickly turned to the internet for help, and it was on the internet that I found a variety of resources waiting to help prepare me for the future. Online instructional courses and first hand experience led me to developing a few of my own smaller games. More importantly, those resources led me to finally ask myself the question we all must ask ourselves if we wish to truly grow from children into adults. “Is this something I can make a future with?” And the answer to that question has led me here, to Sarah Lawrence College.
A school focused around independent students, like me. A school with a strong sense of community and even stronger desire to help make their community a better place, like me. A school that not only offers professional education in my chosen career path, but offers me a place to grow as a person while I complete it. I can’t think of any place I’d fit better.
