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Find Your Passion!

Find Your Passion.

Finding your passion, who hasn’t heard this phrase? It’s tossed at us almost as soon as we can comprehend the words. Parents, teachers, life coaches, friends, and a multitude of well-meaning (and sometimes not so well-meaning) others offer us myriad strategies for finding our passion. Read. Travel. Talk to people in the field you’re interested in. Intern. Take classes and independently research.  All solid advice. But, whether it’s finding your own passion or helping your child find theirs, there is only one thing you must inevitably and routinely do.

Ask.

What my daughter taught me about finding my passion.

Undoubtedly my daughter taught me this lesson that I will never forget. I wanted her to have music, to know how to play an instrument. I think this is something many of us parents want for our kids. Playing an instrument develops the brain in ways that other activities can’t. It’s an impressive skill to have. And who hasn’t dreamed of creating music in some way, shape, or form? I know I had dreamed of that, too, though my family’s financial circumstance didn’t permit me to chase that dream.

So, when my daughter was seven years old, I started taking her to piano lessons.

She didn’t take to them.

To begin with, getting her to sit still during lessons was a herculean task. Her fidgeting and inattention drove more than one instructor to drop her as a student. At home, getting her to practice was like carving granite with a fork – a lot of poking and prodding for negligible, questionable results. I’d sit my daughter at the piano and ask her to practice. She would cross her arms tightly and press her lips into a petulant pout.

“No.” Her steely reply.

I would tell her how good she was at it, how good it was for her, how fun it would be, how it would be an amazing skill to foster, how lucky she was to have this opportunity.

“No.”

“Practice for just 10 minutes.”

“No.”

“Why won’t you please just practice?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

Oh. She doesn’t want to.

After that…finally…it hit me like a punch to the face. In my zeal to ensure my daughter would have music in her life, to guarantee that she would experience the benefits of knowing how to play a musical instrument – in short, to craft my little lump of human into my personal vision of success – I had forgotten to ask her a very simple question:

How did I find my daughter’s passion?

“What do you want to do?”

oops.

Ask her is what I did. In a peaceful moment, when the clank and clamor of the world had settled down for the night, I sat next to my daughter and asked her that very question.

“I want to play electric guitar.” Her eager reply.

“Okay. Electric guitar it is.”

Afterwards, thirteen years later, my daughter is still playing guitar. Not once have I had to ask her to practice. Not once have I struggled to get her to play. She just does it every day because she chooses to. Her passion centers her when the world around her is turbulent and uncertain. It provides endless challenges to her mind and body. It’s something that every cell in her body begs her to do, even when it’s hard, even when there’s no immediate reward, even when the only audience she has to play for is her own two ears. She does it simply because it brings her joy.

All it took for her to find that passion was the willingness to ask…

“What do you want to do?”

Over the years I’ve discovered that finding your passion is a lot like dealing with a child.

Your passion is not rational. It doesn’t listen to reason. It doesn’t care about your past or your future or your goals and expectations. It doesn’t like being told what it should be or what it should do. It will not hesitate to tell you “no” if you’re not listening and cross its arms and sit, pouting and unmoving, until you do.

So, do. If you want to find your passion, sit quietly with yourself whenever you have the time (make the time if you must) and ask yourself,

“What do you want to do?”

In the tender hold of your undivided attention, when you’ve hushed the “shoulds” and “should nots” and all the other unquestioned inner voices demanding glory and gain, your passion will uncross its arms and drop its frown and tell you what it wants to do.

In conclusion, when it does, all you have to do is listen.

Next up, read about Finding Your Passion in Visual Arts in College.

Michelle Motoyoshi, Ph.D.
Major Advisor/College Essay Editor – ReadyEdgeGo

 

Ariana Lee

Senior Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing their stories. There's so much to discover about a person. It's very rewarding when my students get comfortable and know that I'm there for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Swim, read, write, sing, enjoy nature, and play with my two crazy boys.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do what you love, and everything else will fall into place.

Julian Hoffman

Special Programs Manager

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Hearing each student's unique stories, guiding them in discovering their passions, and helping find their voice!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I am a figure skater, world traveler, dessert aficionado, and devotee of the Pioneer Woman, the Barefoot Contessa, and Maneet Chauhan!

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Work hard now -- procrastinate later!

Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

Bernie Nguyen

Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5 years high school mentoring experience. I was heavily involved in it all throughout college and after graduating.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing about their passions and what they genuinely love to do. It also makes me extremely happy to.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I recently picked up the electric guitar! I also have multiple aquariums, and founded a company that built body armor.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't go down a path just because you think that's "what you're supposed to do." Life is more diverse and unexpected than any of us could ever know.

Joanna Yang Yowler

Senior Essay Editor & Program Specialist

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 15

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing students' stories and seeing their faces light up when they talk about their passions and dreams.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Cook, write, draw, save Azeroth .

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Pursue dreams that matter to you and don't be afraid of forging your own path to where you want to go.

Graham Traylor

Senior Applications Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 7 years

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: One of my favorite experiences working with students is opening student's eyes to possibilities they didn't know would be an option for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to stay active playing sports / running, but most of the time I am hanging out with my wife and daughter (usually with college sports on in the background).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's possible there could be several colleges that are a good fit for you. Don't lock in on just one preferred option, and work toward finding places you can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

readyedgego

Tylar Pendgraft

Director of Programs

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love how open students are to learning and trying new things. As mentors, we get to see so much growth simply because our students are so open to new experiences and are looking forward to applying their learning and other skills.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to read and write. I also spend a lot of time just watching--my dogs, birds, trees. I also enjoy baking and cooking (even though I'm terrible at baking).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's never too early or late to start practicing self-care. Build moments of joy and celebration into your week. Give yourself a treat for working hard. It's important to have things to look forward to. If you can get into the habit now, you'll have a much more balanced college experience.

readyedgego

Anika Sharma

Essay Editor

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 2

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: As a major advisor for students interested in the humanities, I’ve found it immensely rewarding to offer an outlet for students to explore ideas that they often don’t get to delve into at school. Watching a student light up when they realize that there is in fact a community around their specific interests is easily the best part of the job.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time, I love to be outdoors - I've been hiking around the Bay Area and recently started biking again. I also volunteer at community gardens and trail restoration projects in San Francisco. When I'm not outside, you can find me reading visionary fiction, practicing yoga and qigong, or cooking.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: My advice for high school students is to focus on the present! Use this time to learn more about yourself and the world around you. Solid values and a sense of self will allow you to make challenging decisions for the future and create the life you want.

readyedgego

Tushar Singla

Chief Technology Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 4

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Watching them accomplish great things.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Watch Formula 1, play ice hockey, and watch TV.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Spend time exploring different things -- you have a long time to become an expert.

readyedgego

Dan Zhou

Chief Executive Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 16

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Inspiring a student towards self discovery, and wanting to learn about everything there is in the world. Reaching this moment can take time, but it's what makes it worth it every time.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Outdoors hiking, photography, gardening, and reading.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do the thing that moves you, or be moved by forces not your own. The choice is yours.

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