Passion over planning

All summer people asked me, “Are you excited for senior year?” or “What are you going to do after college?” They spoke as though I have my whole life planned out. The truth is, I don’t know exactly what I want to do. I have an idea; in fact I have several ideas. But to say I have something concrete planned is not the truth. Part of me wants to be in sports media, part of me wants to serve people for a year and part of me wants to be a journalist.
It’s October of 2018 and I am not here to tell you I have my life planned out. To be honest, who does? My mom has worked in at least three different occupations. It’s not because of her performance, but because as she has grown older, her interests and passions have changed. Is it a good idea to have some things planned out? Yes, especially when it comes to employment and having ideas of what you want to do. Yet, to tell you that I only want to be one thing is not what I will do.
For one, I don’t want to limit myself and my opportunities. At Assumption, I have learned that if you are willing to put in the hard work, good opportunities will come your way. Life isn’t easy, finding a job isn’t easy and finding an internship isn’t easy. If you are willing to put in the work to obtain these things, it could become easy.
Everybody can’t get his or her dream job right away. That’s why I don’t know the exact path I want to take yet. It’s not that I’m afraid of failure, it’s because I want to know I am taking a certain career path for the right reasons. I want to be passionate about the thing I’m doing because I know when someone is passionate about something, they are more willing to put the extra work and time into their passion.
It’s not about what I’m most skilled at; it’s about finding what I’m most passionate about. I would love to serve people for a year after graduation through AmeriCorps. I feel if there is a time to do it, it is now. I do not know what life is going to bring my way, no matter how much I want to pretend I do. I don’t. To anyone reading this who feels the same way I do, don’t be afraid to admit it because you are not alone.
Senior year has definitely come faster than I expected. Reflecting on my first three years at Assumption College, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I have made friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life and have met some of the best people and professors. Coming into college, I had no idea what to expect. I went to New Bedford High School, a public high school in New Bedford, Mass. with a slightly bigger student population than Assumption College. Needless to say, I was afraid Assumption would remind me of high school, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid.
I wanted to attend a university or college that would not only help me grow as a student-athlete, but as a person and leader as well. I cannot thank this school and the people enough, as I have learned so much about myself and about the world around me. To that I say, thank you Assumption College.

Leslie Roda, a senior, studies English. She is a staff writer for Le Provocateur.