Nothing quite sends a chill down my spine like the phrases going with the flow or rolling with the punches.

Being a chronic planner, if events and activities are not scheduled down to the very minute, I find myself stressing and spiraling about the unknown. However, I could never have planned out my Penn State experience. In fact, nothing about my time at Penn State has gone according to plan. 

I entered the university as a biology major and planned for a future of studying microbiology, conducting lab research, and maybe even getting my doctorate. Biology was my favorite subject in high school, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would enjoy studying the subject at the collegiate level.

However, I struggled through my first semester at Penn State and felt lost, uninspired, and like I had chosen the wrong major.

As someone who prides herself on having it all figured out, it was hard to swallow my pride and admit that I needed to choose a different path. Thankfully, with support from my amazing family and my academic advisors, I was able to switch from biology to agricultural sciences.

I had never studied anything close to agriculture before, aside from learning photosynthesis in high school. The main reason I chose it was that plant life and the process of growing food had always fascinated me. The major also allowed for flexibility and customization of my coursework.

The choice was slightly spontaneous, but one that I would not trade for the world. I have fallen in love with learning about how food is grown and distributed across the globe, and how food can bridge gaps and bring communities together.

Further embracing the unexpected, I randomly took a geography course during my junior year called Geographies of Justice. The class focused on social justice and the climate crisis, and quickly showed me that geography was not just about maps or knowing where countries are located on a globe. Instead, the geography course intersected aspects of sustainability, food access, race, gender, and identity.

I loved the course so much that the professor for the class became my supervisor for my honors thesis. Through completing my thesis on urban food justice, I discovered my passion for researching this niche intersection of agriculture and geography.

Now, I am set to pursue a Ph.D. in geography at Penn State following graduation, with the hopes of becoming a teaching professor. This future is completely different from the one I originally envisioned, but it is one I am extremely proud of and incredibly excited for.

While I certainly never saw myself as an agricultural sciences major or geography scholar, I also did not plan to be a writer.

Writing has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember. When I arrived at Penn State, I didn’t feel I had the writing skills for a student blog or newspaper, and I wasn’t planning to apply for any writer positions. However, after switching my major during my first semester, I decided to also apply for Onward State. Why not?

I frequently read the blog during my senior year of high school, and found the articles to be so useful for getting a feel for life at the university. Onward State reads with such a rare, witty, and authentic voice, as the blog was my first glimpse into the creative and hardworking community of students at Penn State.

Although I was fully prepared for a rejection, and I distinctly remember FaceTiming my friend Celia the minute I got the email that I was picked to join the staff.

Interviewing strangers and writing articles was never something I foresaw for myself, especially as an introvert. But now, I can say that I’ve confidently interviewed and written features on dozens of Penn State staff members, students, events, and downtown businesses.

One standout article that I will always remember writing was a feature piece on my favorite downtown store, the Nittany Quill. I frequently visited the store during my rocky first semester at Penn State, as it was such a cozy, comforting spot full of knick-knacks and beautiful stationery. Being able to sit down with the owner and write about the store’s origins and impact on the Penn State community was an extremely rewarding, full-circle moment.

My role in Onward State has allowed me to grow out of my shell, meet some amazing people in the Penn State community, and deepen my love for State College. Now, when I walk across campus or downtown, I get to wave to or chat with someone I previously interviewed.

So thank you, Onward State, for letting me pursue my lifelong hobby and grow as a writer, interviewer, and storyteller.

Changing my major and joining Onward State were both amazing parts of my Penn State experience, but the most important and unplanned part of these last four years was meeting my lifelong friends.

To my best friends, both at Penn State and from my hometown (Jared, Madison, Celia, Joe, ‘McKenna and Them’ squad, my lovely boyfriend of two years, Jayden), you all mean the world to me. I am so lucky to have made new friendships while also maintaining my most cherished and oldest relationships. 

I will always hold dear the unplanned memories, the unexpected nights out, the spur-of-the-moment hometown visits, and the last-minute dinners and movie nights. As someone who worried about making friends at college, I could not have wished for a better group of people to spend these four years with.

If there is one thing I hope anyone can take away from my college experience, it is the fact that there is beauty in the unexpected. The best memories and life choices are the ones you never saw coming and could never prepare for.

As uncomfortable or anxiety-inducing as that may sound to the planners of the world, myself included, it is actually worth it to roll with the punches and lean into something new.

Regardless of my desire to plan every aspect of my time at Penn State, the current version of myself was not built by my meticulous preparation. I am where I am today solely by blindly following my passions and letting go of expectations and outside pressure.

These four years may not have gone according to my original plan, but I believe, wholeheartedly, that I am right where I am supposed to be.