Major: Biological Sciences
Harrison's time spent in the hospital as a child was formative in helping him discover his love of science.
When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, he was confused but also fascinated by the overnight stays, the tubes he was connected to, and the scans and tests that were all a part of his treatment.
"Everything there was like something of a science fiction book," Harrison said, "And I thought that was pretty cool."
At first, it sparked a desire for Harrison to follow in the footsteps of the people who helped his cancer go into remission, and he quickly set his sights at becoming a radiation oncologist.
"So I thought okay, these are some wonderful people in a great career. They help people all the time, they help kids — I should do that... you're born to do that," Harrison said.
But over his first few years at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Harrison came to realize that something wasn't right. While he had a strong connection to radiation oncology from his childhood experiences, he wanted expand his horizons and find a career that really spoke to him.
It wasn't always easy — switching gears from something he had considered his dream for so long led to a lot of of questions. Would he need to change his major? What kind of career would he be passionate about? Does that kind of career even exist yet?
Through a lot of work and research, Harrison narrowed down his interests to wildlife biology. And while he's happy with his decision, he's no longer stressing himself out so much by pinning himself down to just one dream job. He knows that even though he's content with it today, if another career sparks his interest tomorrow then it's OK to change his mind.
"It's never too late to try to follow a new dream."
