Mackenzie Hurlbert – Copy Editor, @ImacIwriteIlive
I am half way there…I am ending my sophomore year in a rush of stress-induced adrenaline, knowing that there are only two more years left until I enter the work force and look for an apartment or home. I’m close enough to the real world to start questioning and doubting how I’m going to survive, but I’m far enough away to safely push off that anxiety by saying, “Eh, I still have two years.”
Two years. And in those two years I have so much left to do. I have so many classes to take, requirements to complete, theses to write, and textbooks to read. Then again, I am at that position where I can look back and think, “That wasn’t really that bad…”
My roommates will be seniors next year, so I am preparing myself for a stress-filled environment as the three of them complete their theses and wrap up their career here at Southern. Some of them are looking at grad schools, others are looking at the job market, but no matter what their choices are, I think making the decision of where they will spend the next chunk of their life is the most stressful aspect of being a senior.
In high school, we had counselors and parents to help guide us to the right college, but what about now? How does one decide on the next steps when there are so many to choose from? And how do you know whether a career or further education is the best next step? I ask myself these questions now and my stomach turns. I just hope I find some of the answers by the end of the next two years.
And in times like these, when questions plague my mind and anxiety looms in the shadows, I write out my thoughts and doubts, knowing that someone out there is probably sharing the same thoughts as me and fearing the same changes. I write to share; it is therapeutic.
For almost two years now I have written weekly columns on my daily experiences, ranging from sleep deprivation to manatees, and I have to say the best thing about writing these columns is hearing people’s feedback. Any comment from “That was funny” to “You’re ignorant” makes me smile, because it means people are reading my words and reacting to them.
My thoughts can be critical, abrasive, and maybe even “ignorant” at times, but I hope that whoever is reading them out there is responding to them. And the best way to respond is to write your own opinion piece and send it to us, the newspaper. Start a healthy discussion, a conversation, a debate, and let your voice be heard.
I have had an awesome year writing and copyediting for the paper, and as I watch the senior crew of Southern News move on to bigger and better things, I wish them the best and hope that they achieve success in whatever follows. Their wisdom and advice has helped me to become a better writer, reporter, and person, and for that, I thank them.
