When I was a little girl, graduating college seemed like the finish line – a hypothetical concept I didn’t fully comprehend. This year, getting a “big girl job” really dawned on me. While being semi-anticlimactic and also slightly dooming, it feels liberating. I finally feel like my life’s in my own hands. Now I can go to work and do what I love for pay – writing.

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I’m so grateful for The Standard and my entire experience over the last several years at MSU. I was able to explore my writing abilities and thanks to the editor’s giving us such gracious freedom, I was able to cover topics I truly enjoy. They helped me build my portfolio and my confidence, and I was able to get a job as a news producer at KOLR10 two months before I graduated. 

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The hands-on journalism program at MSU is truly amazing. I’ve learned so much from such caring professors and from interning at the Springfield Daily Citizen. Dr. Horton prepared me for my current job with MSU’s news broadcast Ozarks News Brief — making training a breeze.

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I feel like I’m officially in charge of my life, which means I have to pay so, so, so many bills and work like a dog to try to catch up – all while slowly aging – but I wouldn’t change a thing. I think having a part in documenting history and keeping people informed is pretty groovy.

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I believe nobody ever really has themselves figured out, but I’ve grown so much throughout college. Expanding my knowledge has truly changed my point of view about everything. My intuition and confidence have improved, and I finally respect myself enough to cut out the bullshit. I’ve learned to not banish the childlike part of my mind, to appreciate the blissful moments in life and learn from the past that shaped who I am today.