I didn’t expect to be sad and regretful.
As my time at Arkansas State University comes to an end, I’m left in an odd, limbo state. While part of me is beyond ready to move on to the next stage of my life, the other half mourns the idea of leaving behind the community I’ve surrounded myself with and the experiences I have had.
Getting older is such a strange feeling. I’m aware of it not only because of the changes in the faces of those around me, but in the way time has changed. The passing of time once felt so painfully slow. Now, it’s passing a bit faster than I think I’m comfortable with, leaving me with less time to take advantage of moments I regretfully pass up.
The next stage of my life is jam-packed full of questions: where will I end up? What will I end up doing? How will I continue to grow as a person?
When you’ve spent the majority of your life in school, that’s bound to happen.
Early in my college career, there were many days when I wanted so desperately to quit. I wanted to break every pencil in my home, destroy my laptop and just curl up in bed.
One thing I have learned though is my time was not wasted. I’ve had many nights where I was honestly sobbing over assignments that were due at 11:59 p.m. Those are nights I will not miss. But I feel like my choice of major has pushed me so much closer to a person I can be happier being.
I struggle with anxiety and self-doubt the way most people do. That, along with some other personality quirks, made multimedia journalism seem like such a strange fit. I’ve questioned over and over again how I ended up deciding to spend years pursuing something my personality directly contrasted.
Nevertheless, I’m thankful for it. Without multimedia journalism, I wouldn’t have found a love for storytelling and learning about people. I wouldn’t have broken out of the shyness which held me back for so many years. I wouldn’t have my friends at The Herald who have been such an amazing support system as well as an accountability partner.
To anyone considering, I would highly recommend joining The Herald or other organizations at A-State. Yes, there will be times when the workload is overwhelming, but the experiences you will have and the people you’ll meet will make every ounce of that time worth it. Not only will it look good on a resume, but it will give you so many opportunities to create, explore and expand on the person you see yourself as.
Another bit of advice is to not wait. I regret pushing off joining the newspaper for so long. When you’re in college it feels like you have so much time to do the things you want, but really that time is short. Don’t waste it being scared of commitment.
I will forever be thankful for the memories and experiences college has given me. Keep pushing through and try new things — you may end up being a better person for it.
This is Shelby Russom, photo editor, signing off.
Categories: Opinion
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