Marcy Cox
Graduating psychology and creative writing student Zoë Sharp will take a gap year to work in retail. Sharp is the editor-in-chief of Amaranth, AACC’s journal of the arts.
Growing up, I believed that the only path to happiness was paved with earning perfect grades in high school, and then immediately enrolling in a four-year university.
As the end of my senior year approached in 2020, however, I began to think that maybe I just wasn’t cut out for school. I was just about to drop out of high school when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Suddenly, I had all the accommodations I needed, and I managed to graduate on time.
Still, with only online college classes in my future and a case of severe academic burnout, I decided not to go to college right away, not until I actually wanted to learn again.
As a child, I loved learning. But years of tedious assignments and tests that prioritized regurgitating information left me sick of school.
So instead of jumping right back into school after high school graduation, I chose to focus on working on myself until I felt ready.
The main thing I am grateful to have had the time to do was enrolling in a residential eating disorder treatment center. There, I learned about emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and general life skills.
After completing treatment, I went on to work my first job, and I took a bit more time off until fall 2022, when I enrolled at AACC.
My time here hasn’t been conventional either, though. I’ve changed majors, dropped my share of classes, and I even got an incomplete here and there.
Still, my professors have always been encouraging, accommodating and supportive of my journey.
During my first semester, I took English 101 with professor Garrett Brown, and it changed my path immensely. Through his class, I rediscovered my love for writing and ended up changing from a major in social work to a double major in psychology and creative writing.
Now in my third year at AACC, I am the editor-in-chief of Amaranth, the student arts journal, and I plan to finish my very last class over the summer.
Afterward, I’ll take another gap year to focus on working and saving money, as I’ve recently moved out of my family’s home.
Since I’ve realized my love for retail, I’m going to use this time off to see whether working my way up in that field might be for me. If not, I plan to continue my education at the University of
Baltimore and become a therapist specializing in narrative therapy.
Despite all the twists and turns, I’ve never been more certain that I’m on the right path for me, and I am incredibly excited to see what else my future hold