Life Lessons: Embrace the Process

Sophomore year was a transition phase for me. I switched majors, and in order to graduate on time, I needed to catch up with the classes in one year. That meant taking summer classes, which I was used to. It also meant that three of my four classes during the semester were going to be design classes.

One of the only pictures of me I can find from sophomore year, 2011

I felt so lost in the classes. I felt like everyone had known each other for a year and I was coming into their little world with no clue what was going on. While it sounds like taking three design classes at once is completely normal for a graphic design major...it's not. I was doubling up on classes that were not intended to be taken concurrently, which made school absolutely miserable. I remember calling my dad during one of my all-nighters, crying about how I couldn't do it. I was so sure I needed to switch majors again because this crazy catch-up schedule wasn't for me. He assured me that it would only be like that for a year and encouraged me to stick it out. So I did.

One of the first days of class, a guy came and sat next to me. We had an in-class computer exercise to do in Adobe Illustrator, and the guy next to me completed the assignment in two seconds flat. I was mortified. Staring at a blank screen and peering over at his completed assignment, I knew I was screwed.

The assignment I was talking about...a silly duck almost ruined it all

But, I stuck with it. I didn't do too well that year because I couldn't give all of my efforts and attention to just one class without falling behind in another. I squeaked by, but considered it an accomplishment because I had made it through the worst time. If I hadn't embraced the process and accepted the challenge of catching up with the major, I probably wouldn't have graduated on time. And judging by the last few days of complete love and celebration, every little moment was well worth it.

Oh, and that guy that showed me up in that first assignment (and every other one in the years following)? He's none other than my Hunter. Turns out, while he was great at the assignment, he too was catching up with the major. We spent that year, and the two following, with the same crazy schedules. And the rest is history.

Me and Hunter, Mexico 2013