I always hear the same “New Year, New Me” over and over at the beginning of each year, and I am not going to lie, it gets exhausting. In my opinion, a new decade symbolizes a completely different part of my life. I’m going into 2020 as a twenty-year-old college student aspiring to do big things. This year is a year of major life changes and exploring my professional career.
From one year to the next, I feel it’s pretty synonymous. Each year, I pick a word that I will live by for the next 365 days. This year, I chose opportunity. With opportunity comes risks. As I dive straight into my major classes, experience my first real love, apply for a multitude of internships and officially finish half of my college career, I see a world of opportunity waiting for me, but a lot of potential risks as well.
Now that I am getting into my major, Journalism, I can set my mind toward my career and dive deeper into the skills it takes to be a news writer. Immersing myself in politics will help me observe the world and what drives our society. I have the opportunity to see how the two subjects work together, receive professional instruction and take advantage of the resources that my university, peers and professors provide me. The risk that comes with delving into my major is the possibility of falling out of love with it and getting bad grades. But, in the new decade of opportunity, I am facing these risks head-on and taking every metaphorical punch that may come to me.
Looking back on 2019, one of the highlights of my year was the opportunity to fall in love. Chasing a long-distance relationship has never been ideal, but it felt right. My relationship led me to Washington D.C. for the first time in my life, and, this year, it is giving me the opportunity to fly in an airplane for the first time. Everyday, I have the opportunity to open my heart, which is a risk in itself. The strains of long distance are a risk I am willing to take because the opportunities with which this relationship has presented me, both physically and mentally, are worth it.
My relationship and my major have both led me to Washington D.C. This spring, I have tunnel vision on my greatest goal for the year, a press or political internship in the United States capital. The opportunity to spend a summer with my love, supporting each other’s careers and advancing my own, is one that comes with several risks. As a small town girl, trying to survive a big city without my parents is terrifying. The possibility of receiving no internship is my biggest fear. The financial worry is very real and present. However, this is the opportunity I have chosen to seek out for 2020. This opportunity will help my relationships, my professional goals and my independence develop.
With the start of the new decade, seek opportunities. The trials and tribulations that come alongside opportunities are worth it. Every opportunity is an educational experience. Every risk has an outcome. I’m daring you to take a step outside of your comfort zone and take every opportunity that approaches you with an eager and earnest heart.