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Blog & Self ReflectionBLOG 1
New Paths
For as long as I can remember there was always one constant for me, baseball. I have played since I was five years old and it not only provided me with joy for the game, but a path along the way. The path started with Little League, then travel ball, high school baseball team and college prep baseball. I could see each step perfectly and it was easy to move from one step to the next.
The ultimate goal was to continue on this journey as I took my next educational step into college. I applied to my dream school, Penn State, and was accepted. I also had acceptance letters to other colleges with D1 baseball programs. The problem was I didn’t have any offers to play baseball at any of the schools I wanted to get a degree from. I sent emails, videos, the latest stats but I wasn’t getting much of a response. Covid played a bit of a part in that coaches were not making visits and the schools I wanted to attend were on the East Coast and I was on the West Coast. The D1 rosters were also inflated with the current players who received additional eligibility years to compensate for the time they didn’t play during lockdown. I was playing in my last high school regular season game and as the May 1 deadline to choose my school approached, I got the call I was waiting my whole life for - it was the Penn State Recruiting Coach. He offered me the opportunity to play for Penn State.. At this point I felt like all of the stars aligned to light the pathway to State College.
At the end of June, I packed up my bags and headed to Penn State. The current players were great and I was dorming with the other incoming freshman. The days were long, up at 5 am, school, food, study hours, more baseball and so tired that most nights I was asleep by 10:00 pm only to wake up the next day and do it again.
The Fall started pretty much the same. I did attend a few football games but mostly baseball and school. I was living my best life until the fateful day in October when I threw a ball from Centerfield to 3rd. I know immediately in that split second, something was not right in my shoulder. The pain was immediate and it was confirmed that I tore my labrum. My baseball path was now derailed. It’s hard to explain the feeling when the dream is ending, especially when it was not my choice. I had worked so hard for this. I was devastated, I was now an out of state student, no college team to play for and motivate me and I was alone. All my baseball friends were still on the path and the daily routine. I had a lot of free time now but didn’t have the desire to do much with it.
It took a while to come to the realization that I would have to explore a new path, find a new road and one that I had never taken. I would need to engage and explore this new community. I decided to try and pledge a fraternity. I went to all the events and met a lot of great people. It was also a good check for me to see who I was connecting with and who I would want to spend this new free time with. I was fortunate to receive a bid from a fraternity. It’s only been about 8 weeks but I have a new sense of belonging and I found an avenue to try new experiences and that feeling of not belonging is slowly wearing away.
I share my story because although someone may not have my exact path, lots of students find themselves alone and struggling to see how things will get better. Setbacks and disappointing life events happen but it is important to adapt and reconfigure your way in life. Being open to a new opportunity can open a new door, a new goal or a new experience.
BLOG 2
Finding the Zone
For as long as I can remember, I always knew I would go to an out of state school. I imagined experiencing all four seasons which would be amazing as I live in Southern California and it is pretty much 70 -85 degrees all year round. I pictured starting school in September walking through piles of golden leaves, feeling the spirit in the air for football season as I passed other students in their favorite college gear. I anticipated how excited it would be when the first snow drizzled down outside my window creating a winter wonderland. The Spring would be the best part of the year, walking in the sunshine seeing all planning an epic Spring Break. When the humidity starts to arrive, I would be heading back to the sunny and dry California.
Most of my ideas of how the seasons would go have come true, however what I didn’t anticipate going so school so far from home is how isolating it can be. It was extremely hard not to feel anxious entering a new classroom or engaging with people I didn’t know. This was a shock to me; how could this be? I never had an issue meeting new people; I had a large group of friends and I was constantly busy at home. Although most students on campus seemed to have a friendly vibe, it was intimidating to try and enter a conversation or invite myself to be included. I was not loving this out of state experience and I had to decide to step out of my comfort zone or head back to Cali in the Spring.
I decided to rush a fraternity as this seemed to be a logical place to find others who might have similar interests. This would mean I had to put myself out there attending a meet and greet at each of the different fraternities. I met a lot of people at each of the houses and now had to think about how I might fit in with them as they thought the same things about me. I knew immediately when I found the one because I wasn’t anxious and I was feeling hopeful about making the most of this college experience.
Having a group of friends on campus has made a huge difference. I look forward to heading to class and running into familiar faces, making plans to head to the gym or meet up for a game. I no longer feel alone. I have new friends on my new path. I know I am not the first or the last freshman to feel this way so I will tell you to get out of your comfort zone, find a place to put yourself out there because there are so many others feeling just like you on the other side, they just might be your new squad.
BLOG 3
Career Report Reflection
I have always loved the game of baseball since I was a little kid and still love it to this day. This is why I loved the opportunity I had to do my career report on Brad BIsbing the assistant general manager for the minor league baseball team The Buffalo Bisons. This was truly an honor to interview him because he is in a position where I want to be one day and it was very helpful to hear him out and have him explain in detail what his job is all about. I can definitely say that after interviewing him I definitely want to go into the front office in baseball as he really convinced me on what a great job it is. A part that really excited me was that he is very interactive with the players which is something that I found super cool because it allows you to still feel like you're really on the team which gives you that passion about winning and allows you to still feel like you're competing.
I am very appreciative of Mr. Bisbing and how kind he was to take his time and teach me a lot about the insides of a front office in sports. I truly did learn a lot from this project and am really grateful we had the opportunity to take part in this. It was a great way to get your feet wet in the workforce as it prepares you for interviews and allows you to explore different fields of work. I can definitely say that I loved this project so much that I will definitely be trying to get an internship in the front office after hearing what it's all about from Mr. Bisbing.
I am excited to take all the information I learned and put it towards something and hopefully get to really be in the mix and work in the front office one day. Lastly I would say that this whole class was a great experience as we got to hear from so many amazing people and learn about what they do for a job and how they do it. This was such a cool opportunity because it gave you so many options of jobs you can go into and learn about which ones you may want to go into yourself.
New Paths
For as long as I can remember there was always one constant for me, baseball. I have played since I was five years old and it not only provided me with joy for the game, but a path along the way. The path started with Little League, then travel ball, high school baseball team and college prep baseball. I could see each step perfectly and it was easy to move from one step to the next.
The ultimate goal was to continue on this journey as I took my next educational step into college. I applied to my dream school, Penn State, and was accepted. I also had acceptance letters to other colleges with D1 baseball programs. The problem was I didn’t have any offers to play baseball at any of the schools I wanted to get a degree from. I sent emails, videos, the latest stats but I wasn’t getting much of a response. Covid played a bit of a part in that coaches were not making visits and the schools I wanted to attend were on the East Coast and I was on the West Coast. The D1 rosters were also inflated with the current players who received additional eligibility years to compensate for the time they didn’t play during lockdown. I was playing in my last high school regular season game and as the May 1 deadline to choose my school approached, I got the call I was waiting my whole life for - it was the Penn State Recruiting Coach. He offered me the opportunity to play for Penn State.. At this point I felt like all of the stars aligned to light the pathway to State College.
At the end of June, I packed up my bags and headed to Penn State. The current players were great and I was dorming with the other incoming freshman. The days were long, up at 5 am, school, food, study hours, more baseball and so tired that most nights I was asleep by 10:00 pm only to wake up the next day and do it again.
The Fall started pretty much the same. I did attend a few football games but mostly baseball and school. I was living my best life until the fateful day in October when I threw a ball from Centerfield to 3rd. I know immediately in that split second, something was not right in my shoulder. The pain was immediate and it was confirmed that I tore my labrum. My baseball path was now derailed. It’s hard to explain the feeling when the dream is ending, especially when it was not my choice. I had worked so hard for this. I was devastated, I was now an out of state student, no college team to play for and motivate me and I was alone. All my baseball friends were still on the path and the daily routine. I had a lot of free time now but didn’t have the desire to do much with it.
It took a while to come to the realization that I would have to explore a new path, find a new road and one that I had never taken. I would need to engage and explore this new community. I decided to try and pledge a fraternity. I went to all the events and met a lot of great people. It was also a good check for me to see who I was connecting with and who I would want to spend this new free time with. I was fortunate to receive a bid from a fraternity. It’s only been about 8 weeks but I have a new sense of belonging and I found an avenue to try new experiences and that feeling of not belonging is slowly wearing away.
I share my story because although someone may not have my exact path, lots of students find themselves alone and struggling to see how things will get better. Setbacks and disappointing life events happen but it is important to adapt and reconfigure your way in life. Being open to a new opportunity can open a new door, a new goal or a new experience.
BLOG 2
Finding the Zone
For as long as I can remember, I always knew I would go to an out of state school. I imagined experiencing all four seasons which would be amazing as I live in Southern California and it is pretty much 70 -85 degrees all year round. I pictured starting school in September walking through piles of golden leaves, feeling the spirit in the air for football season as I passed other students in their favorite college gear. I anticipated how excited it would be when the first snow drizzled down outside my window creating a winter wonderland. The Spring would be the best part of the year, walking in the sunshine seeing all planning an epic Spring Break. When the humidity starts to arrive, I would be heading back to the sunny and dry California.
Most of my ideas of how the seasons would go have come true, however what I didn’t anticipate going so school so far from home is how isolating it can be. It was extremely hard not to feel anxious entering a new classroom or engaging with people I didn’t know. This was a shock to me; how could this be? I never had an issue meeting new people; I had a large group of friends and I was constantly busy at home. Although most students on campus seemed to have a friendly vibe, it was intimidating to try and enter a conversation or invite myself to be included. I was not loving this out of state experience and I had to decide to step out of my comfort zone or head back to Cali in the Spring.
I decided to rush a fraternity as this seemed to be a logical place to find others who might have similar interests. This would mean I had to put myself out there attending a meet and greet at each of the different fraternities. I met a lot of people at each of the houses and now had to think about how I might fit in with them as they thought the same things about me. I knew immediately when I found the one because I wasn’t anxious and I was feeling hopeful about making the most of this college experience.
Having a group of friends on campus has made a huge difference. I look forward to heading to class and running into familiar faces, making plans to head to the gym or meet up for a game. I no longer feel alone. I have new friends on my new path. I know I am not the first or the last freshman to feel this way so I will tell you to get out of your comfort zone, find a place to put yourself out there because there are so many others feeling just like you on the other side, they just might be your new squad.
BLOG 3
Career Report Reflection
I have always loved the game of baseball since I was a little kid and still love it to this day. This is why I loved the opportunity I had to do my career report on Brad BIsbing the assistant general manager for the minor league baseball team The Buffalo Bisons. This was truly an honor to interview him because he is in a position where I want to be one day and it was very helpful to hear him out and have him explain in detail what his job is all about. I can definitely say that after interviewing him I definitely want to go into the front office in baseball as he really convinced me on what a great job it is. A part that really excited me was that he is very interactive with the players which is something that I found super cool because it allows you to still feel like you're really on the team which gives you that passion about winning and allows you to still feel like you're competing.
I am very appreciative of Mr. Bisbing and how kind he was to take his time and teach me a lot about the insides of a front office in sports. I truly did learn a lot from this project and am really grateful we had the opportunity to take part in this. It was a great way to get your feet wet in the workforce as it prepares you for interviews and allows you to explore different fields of work. I can definitely say that I loved this project so much that I will definitely be trying to get an internship in the front office after hearing what it's all about from Mr. Bisbing.
I am excited to take all the information I learned and put it towards something and hopefully get to really be in the mix and work in the front office one day. Lastly I would say that this whole class was a great experience as we got to hear from so many amazing people and learn about what they do for a job and how they do it. This was such a cool opportunity because it gave you so many options of jobs you can go into and learn about which ones you may want to go into yourself.
