The Beaucoup section writes about what experiences or moments changed the way they perceive college or academics. Below are their thoughts.
Ramudhi Kariyawasam
Managing Editor
I would not say it was one experience or moment that entirely changed my perspective of college but rather a collective of experiences that contributed to my altered view.
Being a student who quite literally was a ride-or-die when it came to school, I’ve come to learn education is not everything.
Let me clarify, education is highly important. It expands our knowledge, helps us to think critically about situations and understand the fundamental processes around us. However, having an education–a degree– does not guarantee a future. It does not guarantee common sense or kindness. It does not guarantee our life.
It is rather the collective experience– academics, relationships, successes and failures–in university and outside that determines our path forward. The mere days and nights of absorbing words from a textbook does not necessarily teach us to become anything; it solely enhances our understanding of a subject.
Though, our jobs, extracurriculars, the exhausted nights we have to cook dinner for ourselves and our families or clean the house–the hands-on, real-life exposure–does contribute to who we will become and give us the ultimate skills to sagaciously approach life.
Kay Padilla
Editor-In-Chief
To me, college was always a goal to accomplish in life. No one in my family has made it past high school, so I knew I had to go to college.
Once I finished applying, registering and figuring out how to pay for college, I felt lost and confused.
No one that I knew, adult wise, had ever experienced the college scene or wanted to talk about it. Being in a different town, navigating college blindly and on my own it was terrifying.
I think I didn’t start to enjoy college until I joined The Vermilion.
It gave me a space to talk to other students and other first generation individuals.
As well as being paid to do what I love, I met some of my best friends and continue to do so.
It may sound like I am bragging about the newspaper but I don’t think I would be the person that I am today without the laughs, challenges and personal triumphs I’ve experienced working here.
Ellie Schmidt
Layout Manager
One moment that completely transformed my perspective on college was when I started working with The Vermilion. Before getting involved on campus, most of my time was spent either studying or playing tennis. I was really focused on my academics, but I also felt a lot of uncertainty about my future after graduation, even though I was only in my first year. That sense of fear and isolation was overwhelming.
Getting the opportunity to work with The Vermilion changed everything. It allowed me to branch out and try new things I never imagined doing. In fact, I never thought a year ago that I’d become the Layout Manager. I actually got the job through my UNIV 100 professor, Matthew Tarver, after submitting my resume for an assignment. He reached out the next semester offering me a job, and since then, I’ve met incredible people who have become a second family. I can honestly say I’ve found a home in Lafayette, and that sense of belonging has completely shifted the way I view college life and my future here.
Geonna Tipton
Copy Editor
One day I was hanging out with my friend and I completely lost track of time. It was nearly one in the morning before I was heading back to my dorm room and as I walked down the empty streets I realized something. I realized that I am in control of my own life now. No more bedtimes, no more curfews, no more being grounded for getting home late or getting a bad grade in school.
It was such a relief. That realization that I am an adult now, if I want to stay out late I can. If I want to study so I can get a good grade then that is my decision. That night, walking under the streetlights, it changed my perspective on my life. It made me open my eyes to the reality that I am in college now and my decisions are mine and mine alone.