“What do you want to do in college?” the middle school counselors said.

Baby 8th grade Emma had no idea what she wanted to do with her life, let alone what endorsement to pick for high school. Baby 8th grade Emma picked STEM as she was in Algebra I and expected to continue on that path in high school.

Endorsements, or House Bill 5, created graduation requirements for Texas high schools in 2014. The idea was to get kids to start thinking about what they want to do in college and cut down on people switching majors once there. The problem with boxing kids into a particular major so early, is that their time to experiment and find what they like is taken away so their endorsement requirements are fulfilled. They do not get to step out of their comfort zones and try something new with their restrictive endorsement hanging over their heads like a piano on a string. I needed an extra elective to fill a hole in my schedule freshman year and picked journalism on a whim. Now, as a senior, I am co-editor in chief of the newspaper and plan to pursue journalism in college.

Another major flaw in the endorsements is their tunnel vision focus on college. This plan only pays attention to students going to college and how these endorsements can shape what major they choose. They fail to include the students who choose to go to a trade school, military, or straight into the workforce. These students are a part of the student body and the system does not provide them the tools to find the best places to pursue their careers.  Their laser focus on college cuts out a percentage of their graduates that deserve the same attention as those who go to a four year university.

Those in favor of the endorsements believe the endorsements point students towards their future career.  Journalism is in business and industry. I am in STEM, Fine Arts because I am in my fifth year of theatre and multidisciplinary because of my AP test scores. My endorsement means nothing to my career. I was told not to keep my options open and choose multidisciplinary as an 8th grader only to receive the endorsement on my second semester of senior year transcripts. My options are open because I chose things I am passionate about, not because my graduation requirements told me to choose these careers. I chose journalism because I want to tell the stories of others and I want to screen write to tell my stories as well. I will go onto college knowing that my choices to join journalism and my passion for writing got me to where I want to be. And no endorsement on my transcript will tell me otherwise.