Seniors: Make a plan, take a deep breath and keep moving forward
This is the opinion of Aaron Hill, SJU '05.
Dear Editor,
During my time at CSB+SJU, I kept my head down and my eye on the prize…graduation. Then halfway through my senior year it smacked me in the face. They’re going to kick me out, and I don’t have a plan. By then, it felt too late, and it seemed like everyone around me had it all figured. I felt alone, overwhelmed and depressed. And I couldn’t just make “a” choice, I had to make the right one.
From a young age, we are repeatedly asked how old we are and what we want to be when we grow up. Our parents, our peers and our society place a high priority on career and achievement, and the sooner we figure it out, the more success we will have. What a bunch of baloney. Do you know what I realized a few years after graduation? Almost everyone else was just as unsure as me. Instead of stressing over what you will do for the rest of your life, focus on your first step. Whether it’s graduate school, volunteering, the military or bartending, just find something and start moving forward. Who knows, maybe that bartending job will eventually lead to you starting your own brewery.
While it’s natural to compare ourselves to those around us, I implore you to stay true to yourself and define what success means to you. If you want to try something, pursue it relentlessly and don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise. Perhaps you will not achieve what you set out for, but the process may lead you in a direction you hadn’t thought of. If you do get what you want and then realize it’s not what you expected, great! It’s not a failure; it’s an opportunity to learn about yourself and what you value most.
I don’t want to give the impression that this is an easy or simple process. And there will always be roadblocks along the way, but keep moving forward and don’t give up. If you don’t like the path you’re on, find a new one. If you are pursuing and defining your own success, everything will work out just fine. And at the end of the day, take a deep breath and tell yourself, “We got this.”