College Insights: Getting over that final hurdle
By Diego Loredo
Finally, after coming to University of North Texas, I am close to graduating with a degree in public relations. I first attended UNT in 2014 and now I am set to graduate next semester in May. The time has seriously flown by and here are just a few things that I have experienced and am dealing with right now.
Throughout my years at UNT, I have met many great people. I’ve met them in my dorm during my freshman year, in class, at work, or even just walking through campus or through downtown Denton. However, there’s a group of people that I especially am grateful to have met. I met these guys during my freshman year and what really got us together was soccer. We competed in outdoor and indoor soccer intramurals at UNT and have done it every semester ever since. Not only that, but we go out together a lot. Whether it’s to a party, to a restaurant, or even to go out of town, we’re usually together. These guys are more than my friends, they’re my brothers and having them by my side has made this senior year a lot less stressful.
One thing that I have realized is that time waits for no one. I’m almost at the end of my college career and I am in need of experience, work experience. I have attended a few college fairs and am also applying to several internships. This is something I wish I had done sooner because now I am kind of in a rush to get an internship for next semester. In the school I’m in we are required to intern somewhere in order to graduate. I could have done one during the summer but I was struggling financially back then so I decided to work instead. Now that I’m fine (financially) I am doing my best to find an internship that best suits my needs and what I want to do after college.
With senior year comes a lot of stress and this is something that I am currently dealing with. “Will I be able to graduate in time?” “Will I pass my classes?” “What about an internship? Is there anyone who will allow me to intern there?” These are all questions that go through my mind every day, along with many others.
Senior year can be scary. In less than a year, I’ll be out there on my own starting my own career. I get anxious whenever I think about it but I also get excited at the many opportunities that are available. Whenever I get stressed out, I talk to my roommates about it or I talk to my closest friends. It’s crucial to have that group of friends that you can always count on to help you when you’re feeling stressed out. Another way that I have dealt with it is going out, either to eat or to just get out of the house. This helps get my mind off of what is bothering me and has worked a lot this year and previous years as well.
Not everything is going to go your way in college. I’ve failed classes, embarrassed myself many times, struggled both academically and financially, and I’ve been discouraged whenever I see other people doing things better than me. But I’ve never let it keep me down. I’ve retaken those classes with the help of other friends, I’ve come to accept the times I’ve embarrassed myself and even joked about it a few times, I got over my financial struggle and am working to get over my academic struggle, and I now get motivated whenever I see someone in a better situation than me. You learn a lot about yourself during college. My goal now is to finish this semester strong and go home to enjoy the holidays with my family before I take my final semester at UNT. I plan on taking it day-by-day and make sure I take in every bit of “the college life” before I move on to the next step in my career.
Diego Loredo is a senior at the University of North Texas and is majoring in public relations. He is a scholarship recipient of the Brazos Education Foundation, otherwise known as “Brazos Scholars.” He graduated from University High School in 2014. He plans on working in sports PR or for a nonprofit. He loves to play soccer and is a huge FC Dallas fan.