This is my first “normal” year of college despite still living through a pandemic, but I truly feel like I missed out on so much of my college experience. My first two years of college were supposed to be memorable and, while I will never forget being enrolled in 15 credit hours at home on my computer, that is not what I meant by memorable. I couldn’t control being online for school for almost a year, but I could control how I reacted to it. Nonetheless, I used that time to redefine my college experience and made it a goal of one to make the most of my years to come. 

Now, in the middle of my junior year and with deadlines quickly approaching, I really have started putting a lot of things in my life into perspective. Recently, I felt like there have been so many things out of my control that I really cannot do anything about. I have applied for multiple summer internships that could either be in another city or remote. I can’t plan for the summer until one of my internships is solidified and I don’t know when that may be. 

It is time to really start focusing on career opportunities and my plans post JCU. Whether it be graduate school or a job offer that will come my way, the preparation starts now. I am doing everything in my control from networking through informational interviews to connecting with professionals on LinkedIn and applying for summer internships. However, I still can’t help but feel like I am running out of time. 

Speaking of running, my recent indoor track and field season has not gone as well as I had hoped. After facing a setback from a minor injury, I started to become discouraged and once again I felt like I was running out of time to either run a personal best or qualify to the NCAA national indoor track and field meet. 

Flash-forward to the end of our indoor season and neither of those things happened. Thus, I must ask myself what can I control?

I can control my attitude and my steps to healthily compete again for the outdoor season starting in mid-March. I can use my past frustration from this past season as motivation going into the next. I must trust the process because, as cliché as it may sound, it’s not about where you start but rather where you finish. I can’t change the past, but I can control the future.

This theme of time has been a constant in my life. I just celebrated my 21st birthday, and yet it feels like just yesterday I was walking across the stage at my high school graduation. 

Time is an interesting thing, something I have no control over, but I can control how I pass it. I know that my plans for the summer will definitely come together and put my mind at ease. I know that I can focus on the positive in my life instead of harping on the negative. I know that I must continue to focus on the aspects in my life that are in my control.