I am fearful for the future. What will my career be? Will I have a happy family? Essentially, I wonder daily, will anyone care about my existence?
The future will unfold in its own time, so for now I trust the process of growth. I believe success is a direct result of experience.
For example, you are never going to win a ski race without ripping through gates and “yard saling” many times. Or for me, as a sports communication and marketing double major, I will never become a professional journalist without writing for The Scout.
But, is that what I want my career to be? I don’t know what I want to do in the future.
Ideally, I’d be a Major League Baseball general manager, but that’s a long way down the road; I should just keep dreaming I suppose.
Sometimes dreaming about the future is scary, so I travel whenever possible. I am extremely lucky because I have been to 10 countries and met in-person residents of 42 countries. Marvelous journeys and people have shaped and taught me.
Immersing yourself in a culture other than your own teaches you to believe in yourself and humanity.
People you meet abroad can be your best and, most importantly, supportive friends. When I went to an international school in northern India in tenth grade, I knew only a handful of people. When I struggled with homesickness and being bullied, those people got me through the nine long months. If I ever had a problem, my peers would have my back.
Everyone brings a different view and passion on this water-covered landmass spinning through space. Explore it. Earth is vast. When you experience and explore, you learn more about yourself. That can’t be denied, so go and do it.
Last May, when I traveled to Italy through the Bradley’s study abroad office, I learned to be a leader. Many students had never been abroad, and I taught them to be confident and above all not stick out like a loud American. I led the walk throughout Rome on multiple occasions.
The future still scares me, but as I discover more about myself the confidence that everything in the long run will be okay comes to the front of my ever-involved, in deep-thought mind.
I trust that every little thing will be okay because that’s all I can do right now. It would be nice to have everything squared away but that’s not happening in the immediate future. So I accept and enjoy every moment for what surprises it may bring.
