I have never experienced seasons like I have within the last two years. I know every single person feels the same way, has had their lives shaken, ripped apart, and many things don’t look like they did before.
My last post was focused on the hardest season I have experienced so far in my 22 years, my mom’s battle with breast cancer. Thankfully, mercifully, I am able to share that after her surgery and further tests, she didn’t require radiation or chemotherapy and is now on a pill for treatment for the next five years, which has low effects and provides her with the closest thing to normalcy and health as before her diagnosis. My mom is in remission. I know that to be a miracle that I will never, ever, take for granted.
Before mom got her diagnosis in late May, I was completing four years of college at Auburn University. College in itself was a difficult season in my life. I lost my way, my sense of who I was, many, many times throughout my college experience. I also struggled with feeling content in my studies and degree. When I started college I was certain I wanted a future in medicine. Unfortunately, some of my courses were too difficult for me with the amount of effort I was willing to give school, and I had to rewrite my plans. My time spent independently at college, growing and surrounding myself with true friends, gave me the strength to finish and finish well. Although I didn’t feel content with the degree I would receive, I gave my best effort to my courses and extracurriculars and saw positive changes in my grades and abilities. When I graduated, everything felt difficult again. I had completed a degree in biology, and now wanted to pursue a career in communications. I had to somehow perform a boomerang of sorts to get somebody to take a chance on me and help me gain necessary experience, all in the midst of a job market drowning in a pandemic.
Discouragement happened and happened quickly. The more people I spoke to and connections I made, the more I was told real-world experience would outweigh schooling, but when I applied to positions, I had none of the experience they were looking for, at entry-level. It was frustrating knowing that there was essentially a cycle involved and I couldn’t seem to find a way to break in.
I am someone who thrives on feeling accomplished, helping others, and knowing I am doing something worthwhile.
The more doors that shut in my face, the less I wanted to keep attempting. It was hard when I would make it to the second round of interviews for a position only to be rejected. Hope is a double-edged sword, uplifting and warm in one moment, a sharp stab that deflates in the next instant.
The other component to this season was my desire to move away, to start carving out my own life in a new place with fresh experiences. With my mom’s diagnosis, I knew completely I would not be willing to be away from her for even a moment while she went through that situation. I made peace with staying in my hometown to be at her side, I never once felt resentment or that there was any other option to begin to consider. I knew I would be miserable away from her and unable to help. After the blessings that came with her remission, I made the decision to stay in my hometown for the next year or two while I worked, saved up some money and soaked up some experience, and then revisited moving off in the near future. I felt content in these decisions, but they still left me with the original questions; what job can I actually get that will further my resume?
A couple of weeks ago, I took a chance and made a connection on LinkedIn with someone connected to and employed by a location that is a staple within my hometown. I asked about an opportunity to intern within an events and marketing capacity. The more research I had done, the more information I found explaining that while an internship did not necessarily offer pay, the experience gained and connections involved could be a game changer for someone in my situation. My information was forwarded to someone in marketing and a line of conversation was opened. After interviewing and being completely honest about my career goals, passions, and reasons for wanting to intern at this season of my life, I was given the opportunity. People who had completely different job fields than their degrees understood me and decided to invest in me. I will be given chances to gain or improve on skills influential to future job opportunities, make instrumental connections within my community, aid in working on events for non-profit work (my ultimate passion), and be mentored by people who truly want to help mold me into an accomplished communicator with a comprehensive skill set.
I have worked in this position for one week now, and I have been welcomed with open arms. I cannot express how wonderful it feels to sit and breathe and feel that I have accomplished something. Knowing that I will get to witness events that I have had a hand in making successful. Having the ability to use my passions through social media, photography, and connecting with people to do something I truly enjoy within my community. Someday soon I may even be employed full-time as a reflection of my hard work. Sometimes a path just feels right, within your very soul. I credit this opportunity to God and know that He set this into place to act as a stepping stone for my future.
I know I am not alone in this kind of journey. Many of my friends saw their plans for their futures shaken, needing to spend some more time at home before being able to move away, gaining a position that didn’t quite look like what they had imagined for themselves, but we are all resilient. We are all thriving right where we find ourselves. We are all worthwhile and taking steps that will offer us the best possible futures and careers.
Not only am I doing something worthwhile, I am worthwhile. I finally feel that I have been seen and invested in as a person and someone capable of a bright future.
Only God knows where this will lead and what will come next.
