Rewriting Myself: How Otterbein Changed Me

As a freshman, I would have never guessed I'd be inducted into Mortar Board as a senior. Pictured with: Hannah DeMilta and Brittany Rings

Below are questions posed by my professors this quarter. I wanted to share my answer.

Think about your education at Otterbein: major, minor, IS, SYE, electives, co-curricular, extra-curricular, all of it. What has your education given you? What important lessons have you learned here?

My education has given me a sense of purpose. As a freshman, I did just enough to get by and had a very carefree attitude. Most people who meet me today would never believe this. I now move through the world with a passion and purpose that is driving me to work hard.

My liberal arts education has taught me to see everything in shades of grey. Nothing is black and white. There are always other questions to ask, complexities that may be hard to see on the surface and voices unheard. At the same time, I learned to defend my own way through which I view the world.

I have learned to consider my life. This is something you would assume everyone would do, but being a nonfiction creative writer and communication major especially gave me room to consider my place in the world. I got the chance to reflect upon and really mull over the choices I have made and will make.

I joke that college gave me the chance to “rewrite myself,” both literally and figuratively. I went from someone who scribbled in journals, to someone who writes press releases for national media. I went from someone who was passionate about a lot of things, but felt no purpose, to wanting to do something specific with my degree. I wrote over the things that I did not like about myself and had the opportunity to change who I was.

How did college or another life experience change you?