One of the great joys of having an organized drive of all of my work is that sometimes I stumble on old writings. Like looking at old photos, they are a picture made up of a thousand words (in this case, 357, but that’s much less poetic).
Below is a short personal narrative, written on October 30, 2016, which I used to apply for an internship at the Virginia General Assembly. As I read over it, I was filled with a sense that even then I had clarity of the vision for my life, which is not surprising as much as it is reassuring. Please enjoy.
I was home, and I had no idea what to do. It was not boredom; it was uncertainty. I sat in my chair at my desk, staring at my computer screen, and asked myself the question that all people sooner or later ask themselves: what should I do with my life?
In high school, I always told people that I was not going to go to college. I thought I did not need it. For this reason, I never took school too seriously, though I did make decent grades. My plan was to pursue web design as a freelancer like my brother, something I was already doing.
I graduated high school and moved the following week to Virginia Beach, where I stayed with my brother. This was the test in which I had to face my future. I focused on the web, but this fell short. It was not my passion. It was only a means. This is when I first felt the grips of my uncertainty. I was faced daily with the question of life, and I came up short every time.
I was torn, but I began to gravitate towards college. Despite my earlier thinking about college, it seemed to align most with my desires. Through seeking the wisdom of others and careful consideration, I decided to pursue English. I never saw myself as an “English” person. It was not who I was, but it was who I wanted to be, with influences like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. My dad would often tell me that English is the subject that touches all other subjects. This sense of connection appealed to me. Soon thereafter, I was enrolled and attending college.
If I had to attribute my life to any one decision, it would be that one. School gave me structure and a true motivation to make myself better. It gave me purpose and the ability to grow. Through my studies, I have obtained pieces of understanding, but there is much more to learn. I will never know all there is to know, but I can know more today than I did yesterday.
