I never wanted to go to college.
As my last semester of high school approached, an 18-year-old me, who just finished reading Kerouac for the first time, wanted to travel to France to pick grapes or move to New York to find a job.
Luckily, my parents talked me out of those foolish plans.
What I really wanted was to live life with passion, to chase after the things I found to be worthwhile — really try and make every moment count.
Little did I know, coming to Texas A&M would align with everything I hoped for and more. It was in Aggieland that I was able to pursue the things I loved with full force, figuring out who I am and who I want to be.
At A&M, I have found the friends who with I hope to share the rest of my life. From late nights filled with laughter and conversation to the football games where we all yelled like hell, I discovered what it meant to love some- one who wasn’t a part of my family.
Not only did I find the joy of companionship, but also the happiness that comes with working in and toward something that has significant meaning.
It was here, in the basement of the MSC where I currently write this article, I found a passion for truth and journalism. I walked into The Battalion’s newsroom with a hope to continue the work I had picked up in high school, but soon enough I discovered it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
More important than friendship and vocation, I have learned how to accomplish all I set out to do when I graduated high school.
As I walk out of my house on Friday morning, I’ll remember conversations with my roommates going into the early hours sitting on our back porch. When I pass Kyle Field, I’ll remember attending more football games than someone who only likes hockey should have, and loving almost every minute of it. When I drive to campus, I’ll remember the times spent in a car traveling to every corner of Bryan-College Station with friends. When I walk past the MSC I’ll remember the countless hours I’ve spent with the best student journalists in the country. When I walk toward The Association, I’ll think about what comes next and how my time here has impacted me in paramount ways.
Now, as my time at A&M is coming to a close, my ring will be a representation of years well lived. A reminder that while things don’t always go as planned, life is still a beautiful and brilliant thing made to be chased.
Josh McCormack is an English senior and editor-in-chief for The Battalion.