In my first year designing at The Daily Campus, I had the pleasure of working on the graduation issue. Now that it’s my turn to write a senior column. I’m not at all surprised that I still don’t know what to say. Time is funny like that. It would make sense that after all these years I would be even slightly more prepared, but like many others, I’m at a loss for words when it comes to writing about graduating. It’s a big goodbye and hello, and I find myself in a back-and-forth between being excited and intimidated by the future, especially one that’s no longer dependent on educational institutions. You would think that after 18 years of school, I would be better equipped with the knowledge to confidently “enter adulthood,” but I guess life is just like that. Time isn’t always parallel to experiences gained, people will tend to fear what they have little experience with, and at the end of the day, things don’t always end up as planned. In the grand scheme of everything, my time spent at the University of Connecticut may constitute just a small fraction, but its influence on shaping my future holds significance far beyond its duration.
For starters, my freshman year at UConn coincided with a global pandemic. Sure, any year marked by such a widespread event will leave a lasting impression, but I never anticipated anything of the sort when it came to my college journey. One evening, I’m picking up my usual meal a’ TowersGrab ‘n’ Go before studying with friends in the Morgan Hall lounge. A year later, I’m desperately trying to explain the hype over the lost “Cluckin’ Russian” on a Zoom meeting with floor mates that I’d never get to meet in person. By the time students were allowed to return to campus, everything about the UConn I knew had changed. I was in Storrs with a full schedule of online-only classes in a six-person Busby suite all to myself. Amidst the isolation, I sought different opportunities on campus that sparked my interest. In February 2021, I replied to an ad in the Daily Digest and sent an application to design for the campus newspaper.
I wasn’t exactly sure what the job entailed, and with no formal design experience, the thought of having to learn Adobe Suite scared me at the time. I was just another biology major with an Apple pencil, an iPad and enthusiasm, searching for a creative outlet beyond calligraphing the headers of my anatomy notes. Had I not applied, I wouldn’t have been designing for the Life section the following week. The more time I spent at the DC, the more I got to see the dedication being put in to producing a daily newspaper. Everyone played a vital role, and I was excited to be a part of it.
After a year of growing my own design skills, I applied to join the managing editor team and entered the following school year as an associate managing editor. The days were busy, the responsibilities were more demanding, but I loved the job and the people I worked with. Throughout the year, I’d often joke: “This is probably one of the coolest jobs I’ll ever have in my life.” It’s true — being an associate managing editor was enjoyable and fulfilling, but it also made me think deeper about my future and why I felt that way about my career at the age of 21. It seemed I already mapped out a future in my head that had little room for creativity — too often we ditch the things that make us happy in pursuit of what we think will satisfy us.
Had everything gone as planned as I thought it would during my freshman year, if everything unfolded precisely as anticipated, it’s likely that certain aspects would have led me to a completely different path. However, it’s the very experiences I’ve had that form the basis of this column; I’ve been fortunate to be part of a creative environment that nurtured my growth in various technical skills. I’ve come to understand the significance of the people you collaborate with, and all of these have instilled in me the confidence to seek out opportunities that embody these qualities in the future. My perspective on my future has evolved alongside my experiences here at UConn and at The Daily Campus — I’m prepared for the unexpected twists and excited to experience it all.