When Anne Misawa spoke in class, I was intrigued. Her path to her current career was not necessarily a typical one, and I admire her for that. Judging by what Professor Misawa spoke of in class, I could tell she is extremely intelligent and smart. The fact that NYU offered her a full-ride for her doctorate is evidence enough. However, what I most admire Professor Misawa for is her willingness to change in order to stick with her passion. She never did any film before USC, and yet she willingly switched career paths in order to do what she thought she may like. Although I believe my parents will support me with my decisions in life, including career choice, I can relate to Professor Misawa’s parental pressure to go to law school or have a set career goal/path. I believe society, especially educated society, pushes people to get their education and work for that 9-5 desk job because it has a steady paycheck and provides for their needs. Professor Misawa instead chose not to be safe, rather, she chose to take control over her own life and do what she wanted to do, no matter what anyone (even her parents!) said.
I also admire Professor Misawa because of her line of work, which is film. When I was a junior in high school, I took a filmmaking class and produced a short, 7-minute film. The film I made was not a simple point-and-shoot, edit bloopers film either. My teacher made us each carry out the roles in a real film, such as the roles Professor Misawa mentioned like key grip and gaffer. I can honestly say it took hours to film those 7-minutes, and then hours to edit the film. Before that class, I didn’t appreciate movies or the people behind them. Now I have a greater appreciation for the creative minds behind films, like Professor Misawa, who have the passion and talent to produce well-made films that are laboriously created.
Ancora Imparo 
Great experience you had with filming–you should have shared it in class when she visited.
The idea of a “safe” career path vs a risky set of choices is an interesting one: which makes for a happier life?
I think the answer to that is a personal preference of one’s career. As cheesy as it sounds, I think it is best to “follow one’s heart” and whether one ends up like Ann Misawa or taking a more structured path to a career I think the happiness and satisfaction with that career is most important.