I’ve held off on writing this for a while because, in a way, it meant I had to face it head-on.
I came to college dead set on getting a strategic communications degree and a business minor. But after balancing one too many spreadsheets and creating one too many research reports, I started to spiral. I really didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life — I had to reconsider.
Strategic communications and business felt safe — like a steady desk job was waiting for me on the other side. And truthfully, it sounded respectable. Saying your daughter wants to go into marketing lands differently than saying she wants to be a visual journalist.
Little thing about me: I’m a planner, almost to a fault. I’ve been creating rigid routines and life plans since I was six years old. When it came to my future, I had everything mapped out. But life always has different plans.
So I sat down with my journal and realized I was running from more than just a career path — I was running from who I actually was for the idea of who I thought I should be.
This was not an easy decision. I vividly remember the phone call with my mom.
“Mom, would you still love me if I didn’t do strat comm?”
I was joking — mostly. After she laughed for a minute, she said,
“Honey, if you don’t want to do strat comm, then don’t. Do something you’re passionate about. You’re at a journalism school. If you want to do journalism, do journalism. And if you’re worried about money, the money will come.”
I did the unthinkable — I dropped my entire grad plan. As I hit delete on my perfect Excel spreadsheet, I felt a wave of relief. For once, I had time to explore what I actually wanted.
Film and photography have always pulled at me. I’ve been fascinated with holding a camera since I was little, and I’m finally leaning into that.
I made the decision to pursue photojournalism and documentary. I know — it’s quite a switch. When I told people I moved from strategic communications to traditional journalism, they were shocked.
“Usually it’s the other way around,” one of my editors said.
But sometimes you have to let go of who you thought you were supposed to be to finally align with who you are.
Switching paths has been the best decision of my life. I’ve never been more excited to learn. And it turns out, deleting the spreadsheet didn’t ruin the plan — it finally made space for the right one.Â