I didn’t even want to go here. My parents made me apply to at least one SUNY school, so I chose Geneseo since it was familiar, as my older sister graduated from here in 2008.
I wanted to forge my own path, though, and I thought if I attended Geneseo, I couldn’t do that.
But I am here, and I am so glad.
In these four years, I did manage to separate myself from my sister’s college experience. While she spent countless hours in the School of Education and with the numerous dance organizations, I made Geneseo about exploring.
I first explored majors; I entered Geneseo as a communication major, switched to English at orientation, joined the childhood/special education program in my first semester and yes, I switched back to communication as a junior. At least I went back to where I started, right?
I ventured to El Sauce, Nicaragua at the end of my first semester because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. I didn’t want to graduate college without experiencing another culture firsthand. I also tried a year of intercollegiate softball in my first year before choosing to focus on writing.
Among the many things I learned in college is that I love writing and from what I hear, I’m somewhat decent at it.
I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do next year, in five years or for the majority of my lifetime, and I’m glad I’m not alone in that – shout-out to liberal arts majors. I love the craft of writing for many reasons, especially because it will allow me to explore different opportunities.
For instance, I’ve never covered a team from inside its communication department before; I’ve always written for a newspaper. But after recently beginning an internship with the Rochester Red Wings and contributing to the Geneseo Intercollegiate Athletics website, I’m confident that my education, co-curricular activities and professional internships have prepared me for the “real world” that I’m rapidly approaching – but let’s not focus on that.
My progress as a writer hasn’t been all about business. I’ll cherish the two-years’ worth of Wednesdays I spent in The Lamron office. During those Wednesdays – or production nights for you non-Lamron kids who aren’t familiar with our lifestyle – in that tiny office in the College Union Mailroom, I built lifelong friendships and drank too much Starbucks, all while enduring frequent sleep deprivation.
It was all worth it, though, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my life. I’m not one for uncertainty and drastic changes, but I know come May 18 in my first day as a college graduate, I will feel confident moving forward, knowing that I made the right decision to become a Geneseo alumna.