Late last year, for The Macaulay Messenger’s November issue, I wrote a piece expressing gratitude for my journey in digital media. In retrospect, I realized that I made it sound like my journey in digital media was smooth. It most definitely was not.
At many points, I was afraid when shifting between interests. Sometimes, I thought I was losing a part of myself. For some time, I felt guilty for leaving the realm of sports journalism and then ultimately, realizing that I may never become a full-time journalist. (At least not directly, anyway.) The truth of the matter is: people change, and so do their interests. But when that happens, that doesn’t make anyone less of a person.
If I could’ve given myself any piece of advice two years ago, it would’ve been to not be afraid of my rapidly changing interests and passions. I’ve turned out alright — perhaps even better than alright — throughout my years in college, and everything has worked out for the better. And, who really, ever, even knows exactly what they want to do in life? I know that this is an expectation to some extent because we have to do things like declare our majors in college, but I hope undergraduates who are reading this can take solace in the fact that things can change, and it’s completely fine when that happens.
Where do my interests lie now, you may be wondering? Although I may not end up making a career out of journalism, I’m striving to combine my interests in journalism and advocacy — and one recent, big change in my life will get me much closer to that goal.
Last Wednesday was my first day at WITNESS, an international nonprofit organization that trains and supports people using video in their fight for human rights. (It’s been great so far!) Obviously, that’s a far cry from my days in sports journalism, but it’s where my passions have taken me. I’ll run with them, any day.
