As I sit down to write this article it is finally hitting that I am graduating. It feels like yesterday I was a freshman moving into Merton eager to see what college would bring me. It is safe to say my path through college was full of twists and turns I never thought I’d take, but I’m grateful I did.
Coming into Sacred Heart it had been a lifelong dream to study sports communications and media and pursue a commentator career. From a young age I watched sports in awe of the guys on the screen talking about the teams and players I loved. This dream was quickly altered my freshman year in intro to media 102 when I first had to make a video and be on screen. I realized being in front of the camera was not for me after all. This left me wondering what I would do with my major.
Still a little clueless on what to pursue heading into my junior year I ended up signing up for news writing and reporting. I only signed up for the class because it was the only communications class with seats open. After being assigned to write for the sports section, I quickly realized signing up and writing for the spectrum was a blessing in disguise. My first article was about club powerlifting. I did my interviews over email and struggled through my first article. From then on, I started pushing myself out of my comfort zone conducting in person interviews with athletes and coaches around campus. I quickly started to love writing and covering sports through journalism and chose to apply as a circulation manager. In the matter of two months, I went from giving the class a shot to being fully involved with the newspaper. This past year I have been one of the assistant sports editors for the paper which has allowed me to continue covering sports along with helping others learn and grow as writers.
This past year I also started working on games for broadcasts. I went from nervous to sign up for my first game to looking forward to my next chance to work. Once again, I got my start through a class and chose to stay involved. After months of doing broadcasts, I have found countless production roles that are super fun to work. Finally, after years of uncertainty, I was able to find a new purpose in my dream major.
If I could offer advice to incoming SHU students and current students trying to find their way, I would say push yourself out of your comfort zone and get involved. Going to class and learning only gets you so far, getting involved lets you take the skills you learn in the classroom and put them to use. My only regret from college is not getting involved sooner. Four years seems like such a long time when you first arrive, and it is easy to think you have all the time in the world to get involved. My time with the Spectrum over the past two years and my time doing broadcasts has helped me grow my confidence and has introduced me to amazing people. While I am sad college is coming to an end, I can proudly look back with a smile, happy that I got involved at SHU.
