I have been trying to find the words to write this for some time now. See, that’s the tricky thing about words: They often fall so short. So, while I think, I am going to tell a story. 

I joined The Battalion’s opinion desk after making one of the scariest changes of my life. I came to Texas A&M as a pre-med student destined for a career in plastic surgery. When I realized medicine wasn’t the path I wanted to take, I made the brave choice to change directions. 

I didn’t know where to start. I was aimless. Ever since I could remember, I had wanted to work in the medical field. Volumes of second-hand anatomy textbooks and a tattered, well-loved Grey’s Anatomy lined my childhood bookshelves. The only path I’d ever known suddenly had a big fat “Do not enter” sign. I was terrified. 

I scheduled an appointment with the career counselors on campus and took an aptitude test, and the results came in. It was a landslide; a unanimous result. I was meant to be in a major called agricultural communications and journalism. I had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect. 

If I were really honest with myself, at that point in my life, I wasn’t sure if I could cut it as a writer. I couldn’t cut it in STEM, so what made me think I could write? I’d successfully written a few high school essays, religiously watched “Sex and the City” and idolized Carrie Bradshaw’s writing, but that was the extent of my journalism experience. 

Then, a good friend of mine who was writing for the life & arts desk at the time told me the opinion desk was looking for new writers. He told me it would be a good opportunity to test the waters and see if I liked journalism.

I wasn’t sure I could write articles, but I was definitely sure I could come up with some interesting opinions. So, I applied, interviewed and wrote my first piece. 

It was history from there. Some event or interaction would transpire, make me think and feel a certain way, and, boom, a week later, an opinion article would be published. I used my articles as a way to digest my feelings, worries and interactions during my time on campus. 

Each article of mine has a long backstory behind it. Be it a friend, a breakup, a night on Northgate or anything else, my articles went deeper than the 600 to 1,000 words that comprised them. 

With each article, hate comment and piece of fan mail, I became less and less worried about my future. I gained confidence in my writing skills and my identity. I figured out who I was and who I wanted to be. 

Writing for the opinion desk taught me courage. But more importantly, my fellow opinion writers taught me the value of knowing yourself.  

I don’t want to know where I would be if I didn’t join The Battalion because I have learned so much about myself by writing silly little opinion articles. I love being an agricultural communications and journalism major. I love writing my opinions for all to read. 

More importantly, I love that when the time comes, I’ll have the courage to know when to walk away from something that’s not right for me. 

That’s the greatest lesson I learned from my time at A&M and The Battalion. Finding the courage to know when something isn’t right for you is the bravest and best thing you can do for yourself. When you truly know yourself and what’s right for you, that’s when your life will take flight. 

So, thank you to everyone who helped me learn that lesson.  

Ryan and Caleb, thank you for believing in me and allowing me to begin writing for the opinion desk. Charis and Isa, words cannot begin to describe how important you are to who I am today. You two have believed in me more than most, as a writer, as a person and as a friend. I am forever grateful for you. 

To Josh, Kaleb, Wyatt and Sydney, I am so proud of you all, and I cannot wait to cheer you on from the sidelines. Thank you for all of the laughs, Skibidi Toilet articles and good times had. It has been an honor to write with you all. The opinion desk is in your hands now. 

Thank you to my friends in my agricultural communications and journalism classes. Maddy and Zoe, thank you for constantly inspiring, pushing and advising me every day. You guys are the reason I go to class, and I can’t wait to cross the stage with you in May. 

Thank you to all of my friends and family who consistently read my articles and support me from afar. Thank you to my sister, Abby, who introduced me to journalism and consistently edited my pieces: You’re the writer who inspired me to become one. Thank you for being someone to look up to. 

It feels surreal. This is the last conclusion I will write for The Battalion. This is the last piece of advice and commentary I will give: Know yourself, be brave and know when to walk away. If you can do those three things, everything that was meant to come to you will. It has been a privilege to write to you each week. You have witnessed me grow into the person I have always wanted to become.