How I Broke the Mold

It was June of my graduating year, and my graduation party was a huge success. I had, as my dad jokingly says, “done what everyone expected of me.”

I had everything all figured out for the future, too — Go to a community college for marketing on a partial softball scholarship and see where I can get from there.

How come it felt so wrong?

I was home-schooled my whole life, and my parents always told me not to go to college unless I knew FOR SURE what I wanted to do. I also had a passion for entrepreneurship, and I wanted to do something big with my life that would make a huge difference in the lives of others.

That’s what was wrong.

I felt like I was shoving myself into a box — something I’d never done before. I was doing what everyone else was doing, and I was literally only doing it for the piece of paper that said I was good enough to work for someone else. Mainly, my vision for where I wanted to be in 5 years did not require a college degree.

So why was I chasing it? Because that’s what everyone else was doing. I didn’t know there was any other way to be taken seriously in the professional world.

Then suddenly, about 3 weeks after my graduation party, my mom emailed me about a program called Praxis. Basically, it’s a 6-month boot camp with a 6-month apprenticeship afterward. Excitement flooded through me as I realized that I could jump-start my career and get started in the real world in a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional college.

I didn’t waste any time in filling out the application and going through the steps to be accepted.

Fast forward 1 month. I prayed I would find out if I made it soon, as college classes were starting in two days. Then I got an email, and I had not been accepted.

I still remember the feelings of confusion, anxiety, and fear.

Now what? The original “Plan B” was for me to go to college and play softball, but I didn’t want to do that now, because now I knew that there was something better out there. After a considerable amount of time praying and seeking advice, I did the scariest thing I’d ever done in my life:

I dropped out of college and gave up my softball scholarship.

I was determined to get better, apply again, and get accepted on the second try. That’s when I started my Race for Freedom campaign for Operation Underground Railroad. It was a huge success, and you can read about that journey on my website.

I learned so much through that campaign, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world! I am so grateful I didn’t get accepted into Praxis on the first go-around because then I would’ve missed out on such an incredible adventure.  God had a wonderful plan for me all along 🙂

The second application went in, and I was accepted. I can’t even imagine being in college right now, wasting time trying to jump through hoops I don’t even care about, and being bogged down with homework.

I am excited to see where I can go with Praxis, for the opportunities I can discover through it, and for my business that I was able to start a few months ago 🙂

Don’t be afraid to break the mold — because you were meant to.

 

Until next time,

Hope Frances