Chantelle Somers – Taking Time to Listen to Her Heart

Upon graduating IACS, Chantelle Somers ‘11 wanted to take a gap year, but due to external pressure to continue straight on to college, she took the expected route and enrolled at UMass Lowell in the fall of 2011. Somers said she knew she wasn’t performing to her best potential because she didn’t want to be there. That, coupled with coursework dissatisfaction and financial logistics, prompted her to follow her heart and take time off. Now, after two and a half years, Somers is back at UMass Lowell as of this past spring to continue her degree in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing, and she says she feels “amazing.”
Somers struggled with a lot of negative responses upon her decision to take time off from school.
“I think one of the most difficult parts was the strain it put on my relationship with my parents. Both of my parents only have high school diplomas, and like most parents they wanted something better for their child. When I made the decision to stop going to school, I felt like I had disappointed them in one of the worst ways that I could,” she said.
Ultimately, though, Somers knew taking time off was necessary for her personal happiness, and looking back, she said she stands by her decision. “During my hiatus, I found a lot of things I was really passionate about, and cultivated friendships and relationships I would never have had otherwise, or that would not be as strong as they are now.”
During her break from school, Somers nannied, worked at Hammond Residential Real Estate, and then worked with infants and toddlers in Early Education for about a year. After her time in Early Education, she returned to Hammond Residential Real Estate, where she still works.
“It took me time, but I realized that just because others have expectations for me, that does not mean I should make the choices that they want. They’re not the ones who have to live with the decisions,” she said.
Somers made the decision to return to UMass Lowell after realizing she would have more career opportunities in the fields she was interested in if she attended school. (She actually tried returning twice before the Spring 2015 semester, but was unsuccessful because of financial reasons). She said a big contributing factor to her decision was moving out of her childhood home late fall 2014.
“It was a huge, but needed, life change, which really propelled me to become motivated and work towards the future for myself that I want,” she said.
Somers had a fulfilling first semester back at UMass Lowell. “For the majority of this semester I worked ten hour days three days a week, took five classes on the two days that I went to school, babysat and volunteered in my free time, and still managed to earn good grades that pulled my GPA up. I am really proud to be able to say that,” she said.
Looking ahead to next semester, Somers she hopes to get more involved on campus, and study abroad to fulfill her language requirement. She is set to graduate in Spring 2018.
Somers said, “I became a happier person during my time off, and that is what really made it worth it for me. I think that if you’re true to yourself, you’re going to be far happier than if you cater to the expectations of others and ignore yourself, in any aspect of life.”