The freedom, opportunity, knowledge, and fun presented here is unparalleled and unrepeatable. These formative years are my favorite years, filled with new people, new lessons, new experiences, and new obstacles.
My greatest obstacle has not been a minor one.
Nope, it's been pretty major.
In fact, it is my major.
I entered orientation as a Pre-Major, which is essentially a feel-good term for Undecided. I was thrown into an array of core classes, none of which sparked any sort of life-altering fire within me.
I'm not knocking Pre-Majors- heck, I was one of them. I simply did not have the mindset needed to excel as one.
I was majorly concerned with the major I might choose, especially the specialization I might find. The degree to which I stressed about my degree was immense. Which college I should become a part of was a much harder decision than which college I should attend.
One day I happened across a combination of words that stuck in my ears and bounced around the cavern of my undecided mind.
"Strategic Communication"
These words held mystery, they held opportunity, and they held onto me.
I applied to be accepted into the school, and waited for my result without fully knowing what I was in for with that degree. Months later an email congratulated me and welcomed me into their ranks. However, I wasn't to start classes until the fall of my sophomore year.
So, I waited around, added a minor or two, and tried to figure out my life.
A few questions that I thought needed answering were:
- What is my dream job?
- What do I want to do with my life?
- How can I reach my goals?
- What do I want to become?
I did some serious soul-searching, and came up with a whole mess of nothing.
How am I supposed to know my dream job? My gut answer is Marine Biologist, but sadly they don't offer that degree at TCU.
What do I want to do with my life? Heck, I don't even know what I want to do tomorrow. When will I know?
How do I reach goals if I haven't set them?
My questions led to more questions, and I realized that these questions were not the right questions to ask.
Sure, jobs and goals are great and all. But that's not what college is about. I reflected on what was truly important, and found some new questions.
- What am I passionate about?
- How can I use that passion for good?
- How can I serve the world?
- Who do I want to be?
I haven't yet fully answered these questions, because they're impossible.
I'm passionate about a lot of things:
Words, optimism, laughter, puns, jokes, leading, Spanish, running, learning, eating, creativity, individuality, TCU, my sorority, my groups, Frog Camp, travel, experiences, guitar, poetry, words, and words.
These passions will lead me to find something that I can do to serve the world for good. I know they will. Which is why these questions can be left unanswered.
And for the last one, there's a big difference in what I want to become and who I want to be. What I want to become focuses on an end result. A thing that I can become. Something that has a definition, and an achievable destination. However, who I want to be is something much bigger. Who do I want to be every day? How do I want to live my life? How can I be my best self here and everywhere? That's the question that I need to work every day on answering.
This time is about finding yourself. It's a time of identity, self-discovery, reflection, introspection, questions, doubt, self-awareness, and learning.
It's a time to be vulnerable. To try and to fail. To look and to lose. To search and to find. To live and dream. To be and to become.
Majors are minor.
College isn't about defining yourself.
It's about finding yourself.
Go to class. Study because you can and should. Apply for everything. Invest your full self into what you can. Meet as many people as possible. Make connections. Lead within your niches. Try something different. Be who you want to be. Be your best self every day. Open your hands to the vast array of opportunities presented. Live each day with the idea that today is the best day. Because these are the best 4 years of your life.
So go live.
The rest will follow.
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