As May 4 grows closer, it feels unreal that I’m finally nearing the end of my time as a college student.

When I showed up as a freshman at Hendrix College in 2019, I had no idea UCA was where I’d be getting my degree. Or that it would take this long to get it.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was an aimless undergrad taking STEM classes and random electives, hoping something would call out to me. 

By my second semester, I knew chemistry and calculus weren’t for me, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. 

After the pandemic hit and classes went online, I took a leave of absence for a semester, thinking it would be over by the time the spring 2021 semester started. 

I was obviously wrong, and one semester off turned into two.

During that time, I worked in a pizza kitchen, a plastic manufacturing plant (do not recommend) and a textbook depository. 

It was deep in the shelves of the depository — where I had hours each day with nothing to do but listen to podcasts and read the news on my phone — where I realized I wanted to pursue a degree in journalism. 

In a capitalist society where news organizations are driven by profit and journalism is a product rather than a public service, it’s much harder for mainstream media to be objective and hold the powerful accountable. 

I decided to get into journalism to try to be part of the solution.

I had a lot of fun at Hendrix. 

I partied more during that truncated school year than I have in three years at UCA, and I made some truly incredible friends with whom I still hang out and talk almost every day. 

Hendrix doesn’t have a journalism program, though. 

UCA does and its tuition is a hell of a lot cheaper. So I transferred here.

I started at UCA in the fall 2021 semester, joined The Echo and fell in love with journalism.

Since then, I’ve had many unique experiences thanks to being a journalism major. 

I’ve covered all sorts of events, from city council and school board meetings to death metal shows and Mardi Gras parades. 

Covering the death metal show was one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences. 

It was one of the first shows at Full Moon Records, which hosts shows nearly every week now and has become an important fixture in the local music scene. 

The room was packed wall-to-wall and it felt like the energy from the bands and the crowd could have brought the building down. 

My article, which featured unbelievable pictures from Madison Ogle, is currently hanging on the wall inside Full Moon Records.

Being a journalist connects you with people from all walks of life and gives you the opportunity to tell their stories. 

I’m grateful for the friends I’ve made and the experience I’ve gained at UCA, but I’m ready for the next chapter of my life.