Semi-regular blog posting is going well!
("Hey siri, how long should a blog post be?")
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Hah, two months later. Sorry for the inconsistency. I've been applying for jobs and traveling! Posting to a blog hasn't been my focus, and with the Black Lives Matter movement growing, I felt it best to let social justice voices be heard over my own.
The last few months as a Covid-19 grad have proved to be quite challenging. I'm constantly doubting my skills as a journalist because of the unanswered job applications. I'm also constantly questioning the economy, knowing that a lot of unanswered cover letters have to do with hiring freezes. Times are odd, and as much as I desire a mentor to help me decide what to do, no one has been here before.
That said, a few role models of mine have been incredible help during these daunting times. A professor from school has been in my corner since day one (forever thankful to you, John). Friends who are making their own business choices have given lots of advice. My grandfather and my parents have been supportive of the choices I am making and the questions I am asking. There is good in this struggle.
For two weeks I travelled with two friends from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Portland, Oregon. I had never imagined taking a cross-country drive just for fun, but it proved to be an incredible experience I won't let myself forget. In a way, I am glad that Covid has provided odd opportunities such as this. Otherwise, I might have never stepped back and thought, "Maybe I should take this time to do this. When else will I have time to see my country from the backseat of a car and just...enjoy it?"
We took about 12 days and hit cities like Nashville, Little Rock, Silina, Salt Lake, Sacramento and more. We drove over 3,000 miles and passed at least 3,000 windmills. Half the time we camped in KOA camps and fought the daunting heat of a Kansas night or the rigid cold of a Crater Lake sunrise. We were the only people to wear masks in Nashville and went through two bottles of sanitizer as we travelled from coast to coast. One of my favorite spots was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove over it twice, socially distanced in our rental car, and to say I felt like I was in a movie is an understatement. Growing up on the east coast gives an aura of separation from something as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge. It's surreal, larger than life, something in Hollywood and not the real world. But there I was, sitting in a hot car, the world still so sick with Covid as I drove over those red pillars I had always dreamed of crossing. To me it became the Covid Gate Bridge in that moment, a bridge that seemed so unreal, yet so grounding at the same time.
Personal projects and self-care have also been important during this time. I am still working on a music album and am hoping to release it within the next few weeks! It's been a long time coming and I so enjoy the process. It gives me stability and offers a comfortable 'normal' during these times. My writing process offers a blueprint of sorts that I do not have to vary from. The feeling, thinking, writing, playing, recording, editing and publishing are a common theme in my life through music and journalism. Covid has allowed me to make more time for that process, and I am trying to remember to be grateful for that.
Driving and music aside, job applications are going...decently. I had an interview for a paper towards the Eastern Coast of NC today (I won't mention the name yet). I expect to hear back in a couple days to see if I qualify for the second round of interviews. I've also been considering the Air Force and going into Officer Training School. There's also the possibility of studying broadcast or photojournalism if I enlist. These possibilities were ones I never truly considered until Covid hit. They are scary, unpredictable choices that instill uncertainty, yet offer a glimmer of adventure (and at the very least, loan repayment help). It would be an honor to serve my country and it would also be an honor to go to a paper that has done so much work in the past few years. I've been thinking, praying, wishing, hoping, the whole nine yards for advice and a sign for what to do. I know that, ultimately, I will go where I am meant to go and I will learn new things wherever that is. And that opportunity, to learn, is the best one to have no matter where I go.
I think that is it for now. If you've read this far, I am so grateful. Thanks for reading and God bless!