It’s hard to pick out a certain moment in my life that led me to the career path that I’m currently pursuing. There are many events that have shaped my life, and trying to decipher one particular moment is just too hard.
There are many stereotypes out there about people who live in Alabama. Some are true, most aren’t. But if there is one thing that holds true it is this: you live and die by football, college football at that.
To most, that idea is a crazy one. Absurd even. But, it’s true. And although I can’t explain why or what made this state like this, it is widely accepted here.
As a child in Alabama, you must immediately pick a side. Alabama or Auburn. Sure, there are other colleges out there to support but here there are only two. For my family, it was Alabama.
Ever since I can remember, I have been an Alabama fan. Growing up, the Crimson Tide had some real struggles, bad coaches, bad years and scandals to boot. But, throughout all of this I gained a strong love and appreciation for all football, but especially college football.
I lived in Mississippi for five years, and during those years, Alabama wasn’t so great. I was taunted by all of my friends who were fans of Ole Miss and Mississippi State. But, I had one thing on my side. Alabama’s traditions are second to none with the rest of college football. And the traditions I knew so well, kept me excited.
Alabama would eventually begin getting everything back in order. They had a few ten-win seasons. But, it all came together when they hired Nick Saban. With Saban, Alabama has turned around tremendously. In his third year, Alabama won their 13th national championship and are currently on the quest to win a 14th.
In my freshman year at Alabama, I was headed toward becoming an elementary school teacher. After years of working in a preschool and helping at a local elementary school this seemed to be the only reasonable path for me. But, freshman year involved taking all the core classes to get me ready for the education classes.
Sophomore arrived and I was supposed to start my first education class. It was going to be a Monday night class. As I sat at home, I realized how unexcited I was about this class. A red flag went off in my head, first class plus a lack of excitement couldn’t equal anything good. With college football getting ready to kick off, I began to realize how much I admired the journalists and broadcasters who are involved with college football and sports as a whole.
I switched majors and got involved with the Communications school at Alabama. I write for the school paper and truly enjoy all of my classes and professors. Aside from a love for all sports, I like to think Alabama’s rich tradition of winning helped spark my love for journalism.
Although there are many mediums for journalism, I currently want to be a print journalist. Although, I am definitely keeping my options open. Sports truly are my passion, and to be able to make my love for sports my profession keeps me excited for my future.
So here I am, a senior trying to build my resume with clips to go out and continue to live and breathe football, but getting paid at the same time.
Photo courtesy of NS Newsflash via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).