Hi, my name is Karla. I’ll be graduating from college in less than 9 months, and to be completely honest, I have no idea what I’m doing or how I even made it this far.
As a soon to be 21 year old I always thought that at this point in my life I would at least have three things: my own apartment, a cemented plan for after graduation, and a partner. Can you guess how many of those things that I actually have? None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Also, let us not forget about the pandemic that is literally happening outside of our doorstep, it is thanks to that pandemic that I am spending the first semester of my senior year remote, literally 900 miles from sunny, warm Florida. Instead, this semester I will be spending my time in my hometown, Maryland. As someone who grew up here and owes my childhood memories to this dear place, I can honestly say that Maryland is not where I see myself thriving. It is not where I see myself becoming the person that I’ve always wanted to be, that’s one of the biggest reasons as to why I chose an out-of-state school. I became the person that I am today thanks to the contributions of the M.D. but, the way I see it is, you either stay in Maryland your whole life, or you pack your bags and leave, and personally I don’t want to get stuck in a place that I know won’t benefit me anymore then it already has. And I am not trying to paint Maryland in a negative light, no, but growing into myself as a young adult with goals and aspirations I have quickly realized that in order for me to fly I need to take a step out of the nest.
“Okay, now what’s next? What’s after Maryland? Where do I plan on moving? What do I plan on doing after I move? How will I afford an apartment? Will I have roommates? Will I live in a good neighborhood? Can I secure a job? Will I need a car? Can I afford a car? How will I eat?”
These are questions that have cycled through my mind since my second year of college. I am someone who likes to have security when it comes to my future, I am the type of person who has a plan and prefers not to diverge unless I know it won’t affect the greater scheme of things. But, I am also someone who didn’t know where I wanted to go to college or even how I would afford to go to college, I am someone who has a dream and has no idea of how to reach it. There are so many holes in my plans with only the end goal clearly pictured in my mind. Consider this one of many stories of graduating seniors, but my story will not end here. I will update you guys on this journey that is senior year, and if I ever figure out what the F I’m doing, but for now, until next time my revolutionaries.