It seems cliché to say that I went on a journey and even more abstract to say that I went on a hero’s journey. A hero’s journey is largely present in myth and legends and is described as a common narrative style depicting a hero called to adventure; and when I think retrospectively, it embodies my capstone and university experience. Customarily, the hero’s journey is a twelve-step process and can be condensed into five steps: an implied ordinary world, a call to adventure, a crossing of a threshold, a death-and-rebirth ordeal, and a return with the elixir or reward.

Throughout my journey at the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR), I can precisely distinguish when each of these steps in the hero’s journey occurred and can identify four of them occurring during my capstone experience. When I first started at UMR, I perceived an ordinary world. I knew what I wanted to learn and specific experiences that I wanted to accomplish such as a study abroad experience. I also knew that I had one goal: to become a physician assistant which, to me, had a very direct path. I would have to achieve good grades, volunteer, have at least a 1000 hours of direct patient care hours, and diversify my resume. To build my resume, I would have to have internships and research opportunities and so that is what I did. For a time, I was happy taking this direct path, but in reality, I was simply taking an easy path.

Through a series of events which I consider to be my call to adventure, I became passionate on the topic of art, nature, and how they can and are used in the healing process. This passion led me to London where I realized, through an internship at the Whittington Hospital, that I did not want to be a physician assistant and that I wanted to explore a different career in occupational therapy. I have learned many things during my capstone experience, including a new found career path. One of the most important things that I have learned is that no path is as straightforward as it seems and there may be twists and turns, but it will probably lead you to where you are meant to end up. It is okay for things to change, nothing is perfect and so nothing should be expected to end perfectly. After all, perfect is a relative term that we all have to define for ourselves.

To read my complete reflection, click here.