If I could describe my life over the past two years in one word, I’d say it’s been dynamic. I graduated from Virginia Tech with my bachelor’s degree, moved across the country to attend Colorado State for graduate school and then moved back to the east coast to Washington, D.C., to start an internship as part of my graduate program. Needless to say, my life has taken several unexpected turns and will mostly likely continue to as I graduate in May 2025 and decide what paths I want to pursue. I feel like I’ve lived through so many seasons of life in such a short period of time, each one influential to where I am right now.
Season One: Graduating from Virginia Tech
Letting go of my undergraduate years was hard. The pandemic ripped a large part of my experience away from me (and people globally), and I felt like by the time I had finally gotten a “normal” experience, it was time to graduate. My time at Virginia Tech was transformative in every way possible, from providing me with my best friends to allowing me to formulate my career to learning to make the most of my 20s, especially after the unprecedented pandemic. These experiences and the relationships I formed made this era difficult to say goodbye to.
Season Two: Colorado
Toward the end of my senior year, I got accepted into CSU’s Master’s of Addiction Counseling in Psychology program. Prior to college, I’d always felt trapped in Virginia having lived in a small rural town my entire life. Going to Colorado for graduate school seemed like a move I needed to make, academically and personally. My mom and I made the 24-hour drive across the country to Fort Collins in August 2023.
My time in Colorado was transformative and pivotal. I enjoyed the material I was learning through my program, I was exploring an entirely new part of the country independently and I got this position as a student media intern with CSU Social, which has honestly transformed the way I’ve thought about my career. From getting to work on projects like News You Can Use on Instagram Stories and Reel Life Rams videos, it’s been great to have a space where I not only get to be creative and project my ideas, but I also have the opportunity to give others at CSU the space to share their stories. The incredible team environment and creative nature of this job have inspired me to find a career that combines mental health and social media post-graduation.
There were many things I enjoyed about Colorado, especially from the professional, academic and natural (I loved the mountains—I am a big hiker!) standpoints, but I also realized I had taken my life in Virginia for granted. I always prided myself on being super independent, but this felt different. I was so physically removed from every person I was close to, and the general remoteness I experienced from being 1,600 miles away from home was overwhelming. I felt like I needed another change.
Season Three: Washington, D.C.
The second year of my program is completely dedicated to my counseling internship. After doing research throughout the winter, I decided to pursue an internship in the Washington, D.C. area. I’d always wanted to live in an urban environment, and the area provided lots of opportunities for gaining experience in the mental health space. I would also get the chance to be closer to the loved ones in my life, which proved to be imperative to my mental health.
In May, I packed up all my things and embarked on the same 24-hour road trip back to the east coast that I made nine months earlier and have since settled in D.C. with not only my internship, but also, my position with CSU Social. Even though I’m 1,600 miles away from Fort Collins, being a part of CSU Social has given me the opportunity to stay connected to the university and Colorado as a whole. I get to live in a place that is better for me mentally, but I can still pursue opportunities and stay up-to-date on all things Colorado through my position here! My internship has been a great learning experience so far, and I’ve found out I truly do love city living (I can walk everywhere!!), but counseling can be heavy. Having this position at CSU provides me with a creative outlet in which I can pursue innovative social media projects in a more lighthearted environment. I’m gaining invaluable experience from both of these opportunities, which can hopefully lead me to finding a career that combines both of my passions.
I threw a lot at you…it’s been a lot for me, too! If anything, I feel like this is the time in my life where I can experience just about anything and have an outcome that isn’t detrimental — that’s what your 20s are for! Change can be scary, but I’ve been able to experience so much because of it, and I’ve learned what I need, both professionally and mentally. I’m happy to be part of so many incredible communities, and I’m excited to see how I’ll grow in this next year as a part of CSU Social!