Graduating… One Step at a Time
Sitting here, reflecting on the future I know I’m about to enter in just a few short months, I wonder exactly what that will look like. The truth is I don’t have a clear image of myself sitting in one singular design firm office, hacking away at my Adobe software and pencil and paper sketches. I don’t have one singular image of me traveling the states with a camera bag on my bag, a tripod hanging on my shoulder, and a notepad in hand ready to report a story. I don’t have one singular idea of myself sitting behind the camera, in front of the camera, behind a desk, traveling the world, in a city, in a suburb, in the country, or in outer space for all I know. None of that exists. The only thing that exists is the idea that I will do whatever makes my heart skip a beat when I wake up each morning.
When I came to Quinnipiac, I came in freshman year undecided in an accelerated communications program knowing that I wasn’t sure exactly what direction I wanted to go in but I knew I wanted it to be in this field. Now, almost 3 years later, I declared a double major and still don’t know which direction I will choose. Upon reflecting, I believe I chose the double major knowing I wouldn’t able to decide on just one career… what if I hated it? I believe this double major is almost a safety blanket for me, just in case my horribly indecisive self discovers she wants to go in a different direction.
So here I am, about to graduate college, with little idea of the direction I’m heading in. The truth is, I love graphic design because I love the way it lights me up inside. I love creating something that other people cannot see or think up in their heads. I love bringing my ideas to life and I love exploring the way different elements go into each other; its beautiful and so satisfying. Yet, on the other hand, I’ve spent all my time here at Quinnipiac mostly pursuing journalism. I dove myself head first into our student media programs here and somehow, I’m now at the top of that organization… leading it and leading other students as if I have any idea if this is what I actually want to do. The good thing I can tell you is that this lights me up inside too. I love reporting on stories because I love the relationship it allows me to create with people that I otherwise would’ve never met. I love finding new ways to tell a story; thinking creatively about story angles and most importantly, inspiring the people that I tell it to. I love creating something and doing something that I feel like actually matters. That’s what I feel like I’m doing when in journalism.
50 years from now when I’m old and gray, I want to look back on this time and laugh at myself for being so scatter-minded and think how silly I was for worrying, when really it was all going to work out in the end. I hope that’s the case. I hope that there is a path for me after all. Really, I’m not too worried. I think I can be successful in either of the two fields, not because I’m good at them but because I’m passionate about them. Now, it’s just a matter of how I will get there and when I will get there. I will take each opportunity and each road as they come, one step at a time.