Ditching the roadmap

a wrong turn to figure out that what I actually wanted hadn’t been considered in the original plan. Books! Reading and writing!

I find it funny how other people’s thoughts and expectations create the false sense of a plan. It is like peeling back carpet to — holy moly — find beautiful vintage tiles beneath. Patterns and colors and someone on the internet may or may not read it. Doing something a little weird helps college feel less like a contest for most recognition.

From my experience, plans are good, and they are better when they are your own. If things go according to plan, great! Get that degree! Otherwise, consider that my plans are for the next four years I would shrug and say, “get a job somewhere, do something fun.” Which is both terrifying and liberating. It is incredibly stressful not knowing what the path ahead looks like. But it means I have the option to choose or change at any point. I have not bound myself to a plan that I am forced to follow have so much more personality.

The last graduating class confirmed that these friendships are for the long haul. I can’t wait for the countless visits and laughs to come, but now it’s my turn to be publishing my parting shot and graduating. I’ve had three things published during my time at this University — my Common App Essay for Virginia Magazine in 2019, a UVAToday article about my time at ESPN and the amazing mentor that is Anna Katherine Clay in 2022, and my IfYou’reReadingThis in 2023. But funny enough, despite my passion for journalism and four years on this staff, this is the first and last thing I will ever write for the Cavalier Daily. It has been an honor and a privilege to photograph and document this University for you.

Given this, joining The Cavalier Daily was never part of the plan. I did not apply until the spring of my third year, because either I was afraid I would not make it or I thought I should be doing something else. I let preconceived notions take up a lot of space during my college career. But it has worked out, because every couple of weeks I get to write something a little weird, you might need to rip up a carpet to find your tiles beneath. I know you can feel them somewhere under your feet. By the end of your four years, you will be wondering who put the carpet down in the first place, even if it was you. But it is okay — that is what renovations are for.

Looking back, it feels silly to try and plan four years of life. That is so much time to change and explore. If you asked me what through with since that historically has not been effective.

Despite my previous desire to graduate at 80 years old, I will in fact only be the fragile age of 22. From this article’s perspective, this is a blessing, because if I had to write one more critical essay as though I have not already proven my ability to use formulaic reasoning I would have imploded. It also means I still have many years to rekindle my love for purpose- less knowledge. Thomas Jefferson was right about life-long learning. I will tentatively plan for long walks, pottery classes — to remember that living isn’t about narrowly defined success — and maybe even picking up a newspaper once in a while.

Our unique fascinations with life aren’t interested in what should be. If I think I should be a psychologist — specifically to pay the bills and feel worthy — I am ignoring real sensations. Pain in my neck from hours of reading and bloodshot eyes from typing countless pages. It is all worth it though, because I never needed a strict plan leading to my passion for playing with language. Better yet, I finally started to shrug off that notion of what should be. But it takes time to fully realize these things, so maybe I will truly ‘graduate’ when I am 80.