Where have I been?

A life update

I know it seems like I’ve been missing in action since election day. I promise it was for a good reason.

I finally graduated.

Years of hard work and sleepless nights will culminate with me officially turning my tassel at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia Tuesday afternoon.

I could dedicate this entire post to the countless faculty, friends and family who have spent years preparing me for this moment, but I don’t want to forget anyone or take up too much space.

But I wouldn’t truly be a political science major (or a journalism minor) if I didn’t point out how eerily similar things feel to four years ago — when I was finishing high school and beginning my undergraduate adventure.

When we all think of 2020, the first thing that immediately comes to mind is COVID-19. And for good reason: I don’t think I need to remind any of you how the pandemic upended our lives. For me, it meant that I had to spend the first two years of college at home studying online.

Of course, 2020 was also a presidential election year. Then-President Donald Trump was facing low approval ratings as the pandemic worsened and would spend his final weeks in office trying to overturn his eventual defeat — leading to the events we witnessed on January 6, 2021. At that time, I like many of you thought that Trump and his style of politics were finally a thing of the past.

But now here we are, four years later, and Trump is weeks away from taking office for the second time after mounting an unthinkable political comeback against seemingly all odds. And with things as volatile as they are, it’s safe to say that the direction he plans to take our country in come January is even less clear than it was this time eight years ago.

I entered college during a time of uncertainty, and it feels like I’m leaving it in the same fashion. One of my professors likes to tell his students how we are “living in history,” and it’s been on my mind a lot as I reflect on everything we’ve witnessed this year.

As for myself: I can’t yet say for sure just how I will be part of the “history” we find ourselves living in. If I’m being honest, everything that has unfolded in recent years — both nationally and in my own personal life — has left me with more questions than answers. I hope to gain a better understanding once I leave Statesboro and return to Atlanta full-time, which is what I tentatively plan to do in the coming months.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for being so supportive of me and my work these last few years. I would not have reached this day without it and I will never forget it, no matter where my future endeavors may take me.

And most importantly, thank you to the Georgia Southern University.

I hope you all have a wonderful and warm holiday season and I look forward to returning strong in the new year.