I wanted to find success in college, just like I am sure almost everyone does. The problem was that when I first arrived on campus four years ago, I had the path to get there all wrong.
If it was not for my freshman year roommate bringing me out of my shell, I never would have found the confidence to get involved on campus.
If it was not for the phenomenal sports editor I had when I was getting started at the Daily, I never would have become sports editor down the line.
If it was not for the great group of people in my time as editor-in-chief, I would have never made it through the year.
When you see someone giving an acceptance speech for what may be the greatest award they ever receive, there is always a long list of people to thank. This list of people is not just a list of people from their life, but also a lesson for all of us. For some reason, we all think we have to make it through life’s challenges alone, but that is never the case.
My story, just like the award winners of the world, will only be a happy one as long as I am surrounded by the people that make it happy.
The difficult part of this process, for me and for many others out there, is actually finding these people. In college, it was almost like my best friends and biggest supporters just knocked on my door. Regardless of the odds that out of the tens of thousands of people that attend the university, one is bound to find a few great friends, I like to think fate brought us together.
I have met a lot of smart people at Iowa State, and the thing they all seem to have figured out is that you simply cannot do it alone.
I never had the most confidence in myself, but wow did I get lucky to find the right people.
Since I did not know how to end my final story with the Iowa State Daily, I decided I will close with a quote from my favorite movie: “Monsters University.”
“I act scary, Mike. But most of the time, I’m terrified.” – James P. Sullivan.
