What’s Your Major Again?

How Flexibility, Support, and a Whole Lot of Curiosity Shaped My Academic Journey

By Nasaiah Algarin, Class of 2027

Published Spring 2025

When people ask what I study, I usually laugh first. Not because I don’t know, but because the answer has changed so many times—and every change has mattered.

I’m a sophomore at American University, and I’ve had more majors than most seniors. I started off in the Public Health Scholars program, then shifted to Elementary Education, then to Public Relations, then back to Elementary Education. From there, I moved into CLEG (Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government), returned again to Elementary Education, built my own interdisciplinary major in Education, Policy, and Technology, and finally returned to Public Relations, with a minor in Education Studies.

Sounds like a lot, right? It is. But it’s not just a list of majors. It’s a story of growth, curiosity, and a university environment that gave me the space to figure it all out.

I Wasn’t Lost. I Was Learning.

Each major taught me something about myself. Public Health helped me understand systemic impact. Elementary Education helped me connect with students and learning environments. Public Relations gave me language and tools to communicate with purpose. CLEG taught me how institutions operate and interact. And when none of those quite fit on their own, I worked with faculty to create my own major—one that asked bigger questions and let me explore more freely, helping me understand systemic features that support or hinder progress.

At every point in this journey, I wasn’t making random changes. I was trying to find the right shape for my passions. I knew I cared about equity, education, communication, and innovation. I just didn’t know how to hold all those ideas in one space. And instead of being punished for switching gears, I was supported.

Faculty Support Wasn’t Just Helpful. It Was Essential.

I wouldn’t have had the courage to keep exploring if it weren’t for the guidance I received from my professors and advisors. It’s easy to feel pressure to have everything figured out right away in college, especially when you’re in a scholars program or holding leadership roles. But the faculty I worked with reminded me that college is meant to be a place of discovery. They listened when I was unsure. They pointed me toward classes that challenged me. They helped me ask better questions.

When I wanted to build my own major, I didn’t have to fight to be heard. I had professors who encouraged the idea, helped me draft my proposal, and reviewed my course map. They trusted that I knew what I was doing, even when what I was doing wasn’t traditional. My advisor once told me, “The point of an individualized major is exploration and personalization. You personalized, explored, figured things out, and reached a decision—and that is the whole point.” That affirmation stayed with me. It reminded me that I wasn’t failing by changing course. I was doing exactly what I came to college to do: learn. That trust, that encouragement, and that willingness to let me lead my own process made all the difference.

Flexibility Created Freedom—and Focus

Being able to shift between majors wasn’t a sign of indecision. It was a reflection of how much I care about getting it right. With each change, I got closer to understanding the kind of work I want to do. I realized I don’t just want to work in a classroom. I want to speak up for students and communities on a larger scale. I want to connect people to the ideas and policies that impact their lives. I want to use communication not just to persuade, but to educate. I want to tell stories that move people to action.

And that’s what brought me back to Public Relations. Not as a full circle, but as a full picture.

The custom major I built helped me explore the systems I care about. It gave me the language to talk about education, equity, and policy with greater depth. But I started to realize that I didn’t want to stay behind the scenes designing solutions. I wanted to be the person who could solve those problems. I missed the creative energy of message building, the power of clear and honest storytelling, and the challenge of helping others understand complex issues.

That’s what PR is about at its core. Helping people care. Helping them understand. Helping them see the bigger picture.

I realized that Public Relations gives me the tools to do exactly what I want to do: communicate with impact, especially around the things that matter most to me. Education, youth, equity, and public service. With a minor in Education, I’m still connected to the space that first inspired me. Now, I get to approach it from a different angle—one that’s strategic, human-centered, and focused on advocacy through communication.

All of that came from having the freedom to explore different fields and the trust from faculty and staff that I’d bring it all together.

Trusting The Process: A Model for Student Growth

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that flexibility in academics doesn’t slow students down, but it happens to sharpen their direction. My story is one of many. There are so many students whose interests don’t fit cleanly into one department or whose passions take time to fully emerge. What we need are structures and people that allow that discovery to happen.

Faculty can play a powerful role in this discovery process. Whether it’s through interdisciplinary advising, flexible curriculum planning, or simply taking the time to ask a student what lights them up in class, these moments matter. The trust you place in students to chart their own path sticks with them and it can completely change their sense of purpose.

For me, that support turned a confusing list of major switches into an intentional, connected journey.

Where I Am Now

As a sophomore majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Education, I finally feel at home. Not because it checks every box, but because it brings together all the parts of my journey: the teaching experience, the systems thinking, the curiosity about public institutions, and the love for communication. I’m interested in strategic messaging. I care about educational justice. And I want to work in spaces where I can bridge the gap between policy and people.

PR gives me a way to do all of that. I’m building the skill set to design campaigns, craft messaging, and shape conversations that move ideas forward. I know how to write for impact. I know how to listen to a community. And I know how to make something complex feel clear and personal. My background in education and technology only makes that communication stronger.

Academic Exploration as a Strength, not a Setback

This story isn’t just about me. It’s about what happens when institutions treat academic exploration as a strength instead of a setback. When faculty listen. When advisors make space for questions. When programs stay flexible. When students are reminded that changing your mind is a form of growth, not failure.

To any student reading this: your major isn’t your identity. It’s a tool. Let it evolve with you.

And to faculty and staff: thank you. For every advising meeting, every conversation, every green light, and every word of encouragement that helped me make sense of this wild, meaningful path. You made room for me to build something that fit.

That’s not just good advising. That’s education at its best.