One Track Path

Shresta Nibhanupudi (she/her)

Editorial Team Member

It is April 2026, and I am almost done with junior year. Junior year is infamous due to the fact that most take junior year as the time to focus on their futures. So to most, that means putting all their eggs in one basket, figuring out their major, and spending all their time on that one singular topic. This leads to people quitting their hobbies, such as playing an instrument or a sport. But focusing on your future doesn’t have to mean devoting every part of yourself to the one profession you were “meant” to take. 

For me, I’ve always been focused on my future, and I used to think exactly like this. I used to believe that since I liked law, I shouldn’t sing or play an instrument, since it isn’t useful for me. I wasn’t meant to like math or think it was interesting because, after all, I’m a law person, not a STEM person. However, the reason why junior year has been so rejuvenating for me is because I realized that the only thing concrete about my future is me, not my career. So instead of focusing on my path that I was “meant” to take, I focused on myself and made sure to make myself into the best possible person I could be in every field. 

After realizing this, I started to enjoy the content at school: I was no longer set on disliking or hating math and science. I expanded my interest in business, and joined business clubs. I no longer searched for only law-related activities but cast a wider net. Surprisingly enough, this actually further cemented my passion, not diminished it. My stress towards my future magically disappeared. 

Junior year, however busy it may be, only has to be stressful if you make it so. Forcing yourself into a one track path is one of the largest ways to do so. I implore you guys to focus more on yourself than your career because after all the only thing confirmed in your life is you.