I do not quite know where I would be right now if I had not joined the Reflector sports staff at the very beginning of my sophomore year at Mississippi State University.
I was excited, albeit a bit clueless. After navigating through a very tumultuous freshman year in which I changed my major from communication to educational psychology and back to communication again, I knew that all I wanted to do was report on sports. Joining the paper was my first step in the right direction, but I did not realize just how many doors it would open for me.
I will never forget my first football game: it was an extremely hot September day and the start of the second year of the Mike Leach era. I showed up in the press box with no idea what to do, wearing a frilly white skirt and carrying nothing but a clear purse and a notebook that I could use to write down each play. I looked very out-of-place compared to the professionals that were around me, but when I finally turned in my gamer after Mississippi State’s thrilling comeback victory against Louisiana Tech, I could have exploded from joy.
Three weeks after that first game, I was laying in my Hathorn Hall bed, mindlessly scrolling on social media. I stopped when I saw a post advertising open internships with Mississippi State’s Sports Illustrated website, Cowbell Corner. At that point, I was lucky to have written two or three stories, but I took a chance and emailed my work to the site’s lead publisher. Needless to say, I was shocked when I was offered the position.
Why take an opportunity like that and only put half of my heart into it? Starting at the Reflector had instilled a bit of confidence me, and Cowbell Corner was going to allow me to write as much as I wanted to each day until my fingers literally could not type anymore.
When stories arose, I jumped at the chance to write them. When games were on the road, I was packing my bags and taking those late night car rides. I drank a bit too much caffeine and cried from exhaustion more than a few times, but it was well worth it to see myself grow professionally, network with incredible people and travel to some awesome places. I was able to continue that growth my junior year as I accepted a student writing position within Mississippi State Athletic Communications.
My senior year has come to an end, and it is a bittersweet feeling. No more early morning science classes, unnecessary fire alarms or late nights in the library, but at the same time, no more Reflector meetings, walks around Chadwick Lake on sunny days or late night drives to Cookout. I have learned to hold on to those little moments tightly.
As you start your time at Mississippi State, do not hold back from anything. Embrace every opportunity you have: academically, professionally, socially and so on. Want to work in medicine? Find an internship that gives you some early experience! Interested in meeting people who have similar interests to you? Join a club!
If I would have held back from exploring my passions in the early stages of college, I would have never found myself living the life that I once dreamed of. You have a few incredible years of your life in front of you, do not sit back and watch them pass by.
