Five Year Plan

Following high school I will be attending Merced Junior College. Growing up I sort of

looked down on decisions like these because society makes you think that going to a junior

college isn’t something you should be proud of, people make you feel less than for attending any

school but a 4-year. However, this decision was the smartest one I could have made given my

circumstances. I dreamed of playing water polo in college but finding opportunities to do this

isn’t something I really knew much about. I found myself confused in the world of college

recruiting my senior year but I still had a love for the game. After talking to the coach of aquatics

at the Merced Junior College, I realized that playing there was what was best for me. All in all,

my decision to stay here was based on sports and the fact that the first year is free here at MJC.

My parents are each going to pay a flat amount as they have for my siblings for the four

years of college, and the rest of the cost is up to me. Throughout high school I have saved up the

money I have received from working at Skimmers, babysitting, taking pictures, and the money I

have been given from birthdays and holidays. I have also recently applied for a job at Starbucks

which I will work at throughout the summer to help ease the future costs of college. Luckily,

staying at the MJC for two years will save me a lot of money in housing, food, etc.

During my first two years here I have been planning classes aimed toward the major of

Art. This major is focused towards the career I hope to obtain in photography. I am very

passionate about photography and have thought over the low wage averages for a career like this

many times, but I still have chosen this career because passion is everything. I would rather make

less and love what I do than make more money while hating my career. I have done prep in this
career as well. I take pictures at water polo games for my teammates, and have been paid to take

senior photos, prom photos, and family photos. These experiences once again proved my love for

the art and steered me towards the major that I love.

After graduating from the Merced Junior College I will attend a four year university for

my final two years in college. A school that has caught my eye is California State University

Long Beach, I applied to this school this fall in their amazing arts program and I got in. Besides

the fact that CSU Long Beach excels in my major of Art, they also have a minor in Art

Photography which is my exact career choice. Lastly, I would like to go to CSU Long beach

because of their water polo team. Their water polo team is division one, and they are amazing,

playing for them would be a dream come true, and after two years of playing water polo at the

MJC I believe that I have the potential to earn a spot on their water polo team.

After two more years studying the art of photography at California State Long Beach, I

hope to graduate. This means the end of water polo as well which leaves me with the time and

means to begin working. Being a photographer is tough in that it truly is hard to make it in the

field. However, I have four years until I graduate from college and by then my portfolio will be

large and impressive giving me many opportunities. I hope to have my own photography

business after college which I have already started. Along with that, my wish is to coach water

polo and swimming at a high school on the side. By doing that I feel as though I will still feel

connected as an athlete and it will fulfill the spot in my heart dedicated to aquatics. During my

career in photography I hope to spread my name and art far enough that it reaches people like

those at National Geographic. Being noticed by a business so large would give me the

opportunity to work under those who are world famous with much talent. My biggest goal is to
have my work featured in a National Geographic magazine, and if I continue on the path I have

laid out I believe that that is something I will be able to accomplish.