I have spent the last 6 years of my life in what I like to think of as “controlled uncertainty” mixed with “comfortable adventure” .  Throughout my undergraduate education at the University of Southern California (USC) I had a perfect combination of adventure, exploration, and going into the unknown with regiment, scheduling, and sureness. Every semester, I had a set schedule of courses, which gave me a fixed foundation. And every semester, I added in a healthy dose of venturing off into the great outdoors or the underwater world to satiate my wanderlust. I took that combination to the extreme 3 specific times – my participation as a student in a field study course to Guam and Palau, my study abroad experience in New Zealand for a semester, and my role as a Teaching Assistant for the Micronesia field study course. But each time, I went out around the world to a new destination, I retained some level of comfort and certainty.  After my fours years at USC, I moved to Palau to work as a dive guide, which to many seemed like I was throwing away comfort for adventure, but I was moving to a place I’d been to before, and was familiar with.

But as I write today, as the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society 2015 North American Rolex Scholar, I discover myself throwing this lifestyle out the window. By taking on the honor as the North American Rolex Scholar, I realize I will no longer live in the cozy combination of certainty and adventure. Nay, by embarking on this year, I have effectively said, “I’m done with certainty! Bring on the chaos!”

 

I found over the past six years of this balancing act that it had become a comfortable lifestyle. And for whatever reason, I don’t like being comfortable. I like pushing and challenging myself, testing my limits. I mean, how else am I supposed to find out what I’m really capable of? So in August of 2014, on the recommendation of a few of my very good mentors from USC, I investigated the Rolex Scholarship and decided to give it a go. I felt that it was a long shot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I completed an application and then sat back and waited. By late February, I was notified that I was one of the finalists and by early March I found out the selection committee chose me as the North American Rolex Scholar! I did a lot of jumping around and smiling that day at work.

 

In just under 3 weeks I had closed out and packed up my whole life in Palau and headed back home to embark on what I consider a true journey of the unknown. One of the greatest yet most challenging aspects of the scholarship year is the freedom OWUSS allows the scholar. We are given leniency in planning our year, to mold and tailor our experiences to our individual personalities. For the side of me who has always had some aspect of a schedule for at least 6 months at a time, this is daunting to me. For the side of me that craves adventure and the unknown, this is the greatest thrill.

And so as I step forward into my year, I know I will be challenged by the uncertainty and constant change that accompanies this year. This year requires going from business casual and heels to flip flops and bathing suits. To effortlessly switch between rashguards and drysuits. I will learn to be an underwater chameleon (a cuttlefish maybe?) this year – always changing my colors to best assimilate to whatever environment I find myself in, and always with an open mind, ready for whatever adventure awaits me right out of sight.

And without further ado, I will embark on this adventure, prepared to expect the unexpected.