It was Christmas in Florida—which means it’s still hot. December of 2016, I was shopping at the mall with my mom. Serious shopping can be exhausting, so my mom wanted some Starbucks coffee. I really thought coffee was gross and thought it was a bitter, dark and unpleasant adult drink. But this day, Starbucks had their holiday special, buy one drink—get one free. So I had to get something, it was free (and who doesn’t like free?) So I tried something I thought sounded pleasing, the Caramel Brule Latte. As I started drinking it, I thought to myself, “not too bad” and finished the whole thing. Little did I know, this is where my coffee addiction would take root. It was finals week when I went back to my university. I remember being overwhelmed with all of my due dates for assignments approaching. I thought, wow I should get a Caramel Brule because I know I like that and it will probably motivate me to finish all this work. So I went ahead and ordered one – I did this for the rest of the week. When I decided “okay, I think I’m going to take a break from coffee” is when I realized how badly I needed it. I started to get a headache without it, something I remember my mom saying if she didn’t have her cup of joe by a certain time. Although to some people, this may seem like a bad thing, I was kind of excited. “Now I always have to have coffee,” I thought to myself. So ever since this day I have had coffee everyday – and love it! A whole new world opened up to me. I started to notice a lot of people drank coffee and you can get creative with it. A love for coffee shops blossomed within me and I found myself wanting to go to them all time. This is now one of my favorite hobbies. Even better is when your friends love coffee too. My ideal hangout is just spending hours at a coffee shop with small-talk, writing + reading and of course caffeine. So if you haven’t caved in yet and tried coffee, I recommend it—there are so many ways you can have it. Lattes, Americano, cappuccinos, French Press…but beware the Starbucks holiday sales. Those will get you. Consider yourself warned. To Write Authentically – To Share Joy, L
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“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” they say.
After almost two years of college complete, there is no way I’ll be able to graduate on time now, I thought. I looked into business, that’s a safe route. But when I really researched it, I realized I would fall too far back if I majored in that. Then, I came across Mass Communications. I had heard about it before, and thought it was an interesting major, but what would I do with that? As I looked into it, I realized there is so much you can do with this degree. From broadcast to public relations to advertising, this major really caught my attention. Something about advertising stuck out to me. So I began to calculate what would happen if I chose this degree. I found out that I would be able to graduate on time. Best. News. Ever! So I took some intro classes to see how I would like it and I quickly realized this was exactly where I was supposed to be. Reading and writing is something that has always come naturally to me. So finding a career that would allow me to do this creatively was something I was excited about. After one year, it feels like this was my major all along. I went all in and tried my best to get as involved as I could. I entered an advertising competition (and won…say what!?), toured advertising agencies, and have had two real-world internships. I look back at all that I’ve accomplished and notice how I can really underestimate myself. In the moment, it can feel like things are moving slow and I start to wonder if I’m really doing everything I can. However, when I step back and look at the bigger picture I really see how easy it is to forget how far I’ve come in just a year. So word of encouragement to all my college friends out there, don’t be too hard on yourself. It is important to always challenge yourself, but don’t be afraid of failing, change and trying new things. Looking back, I never thought I’d be where I am now. Entering my senior year now, I’m really looking forward to what this last year of college has to offer me before I enter the real world. To Write Authentically – To Share Joy, L |