During the pandemic, I transferred schools from Virginia to Georgia. I had to take a semester off which led me to some pretty interesting jobs. First, I was a campaign assistant to a candidate running in State Senate District 48 and at the same time, I worked for a startup, a seasonal company called JingleRing. Having to flip my brain from debate prep, election day planning, and going to political events to how to help a startup company with their customer service platform and developing the brand about Santa was a challenge. One time I was literally sitting in the venue for the election night party answering emails about Santa Claus.

This taught me a valuable lesson that learning comes in many forms. I am a self-diagnosed workaholic, but normally this came in the form of school. I did well at my previous summer jobs but working for a candidate in a real-life election and being a part of a seasonal startup company during the holidays gave me a run for my money. These jobs taught me how to ask for help and most importantly, how to fail. Failing is such an important part of learning and does not always come in the form of a grade.

During my semester off, I proved to myself that I am capable of working with adults and giving my opinion. I am sure there will be no shortage of my opinion in my writing. Although I will do everything in my power to not fail this class, I am making a promise to not be afraid to take risks, ask for help, and push myself to create better content. If my work was good enough for politics and Santa Claus, I am confident I can succeed in this class!