by Taylor Woods

College is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s hard to put into words the lessons that college teaches, the exposure to different experiences it provides, and the amount of self discovery that it allows for. I know that it may sound cliche, but college has quite literally flown by for me. I am now entering my second to last semester this spring, and the fact that I have only two more semesters is baffling to me. The season of life that I am now in is surprisingly not scary or nerve wracking (yet, at least), but exciting and a season that I enjoy being in. Planning for final internships and opportunities in my undergraduate career, graduate school applications, and jobs, provides me with a sense of relief that all the work I have done is going to mean something and will lead me to where I need to be. Everything really does seem to be coming full circle, and that includes this internship.

I started my internship with She Leads Media the summer before my sophomore year of college. I was anxious to begin and to explore the world of communications with the company. While graduate school was something I pretty much knew I wanted to do, I could never have imagined how quickly I would be preparing to enter that world and planning for that chapter of my life. I am incredibly grateful that I am certain about what I want to do and that I have a passion for my career choice, which happens to be the world of museums and non-profits. I am also incredibly grateful for She Leads Media and the lessons that I will take from this experience. Doing work for this internship never felt like work. It always felt like a learning experience in which I was able to explore my passions and improve my skills. My favorite part of this internship was being able to collaborate with Adrienne and all the other amazing interns in a collaborative space. Interning for this company has been beyond amazing, because I have been able to work with the most amazing women, and work with a company that uplifts them. I have learned so much from Adrienne in not only the way she handles and runs the company, but the way that she treats people. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this experience and will certainly carry these lessons with me. I want to say thank you to Adrienne and everyone I worked with through this experience, it has truly been amazing.

If someone were to ask me, “What has college taught you?”, I think that my answer would simply be, to be patient, take my time, and follow my instinct. I spent so much time in college discouraged that I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I watched other people around me make and stick to precise plans that they made freshman year. I spent a lot of time trying to force myself into boxes in order to fit into what society deemed acceptable for me to do, or what I thought was practical and “made sense”. In the end, what I decided to do came to me naturally. I found my passion for a field all by myself. One of the best feelings is finding a passion and being excited to explore it more. Even now, I keep as many doors open as possible. I think that life is about having multiple passions and pursuing those passions however you feel and see fit. College is all about figuring that out. The best part is, college is also simply the beginning.