The Places You’ll Go

Before anything great is really achieved, your comfort zone must be disturbed.”

Those are the words of NFL hall-of-fame linebacker Ray Lewis. That man is a 12-time pro bowl, 2-time defensive player of the year linebacker, with the greatest leadership skills the NFL has ever seen and two Super Bowl rings to show for it.

Though, in this moment of writing one of my final articles for Evolution and putting the finishing touches on my time at BCIT, that quote has nothing to do with sports, for me.

The greatest obstacles in life are the ones you can’t see or feel, they’re the obstacles you go through in your mind. The thoughts and feelings you get about doing certain things, whether you hate them or are scared of them, or even just flat-out try to ignore them.

Those are the obstacles that every single person on this planet wakes up every day to try and get a little closer to getting through. Leaving your house every morning, laying one brick at a time towards something you know you can build, there is no greater feeling than finally accomplishing what once scared the sh*t out of you.

That was truly my life before going back to school. I was a 19-year old, about a year off of graduating high school. Working full-time, I didn’t really have a plan. I knew one thing; I loved to speak and write. I also loved everything about sports.

So one night I decided it was time to take a look around for something new. A new path or journey that will hopefully lead me to my next clue in life. I needed new motivation and reason, so I began to look around for post-secondary programs…

Looking through all types of broadcasting and journalism programs, the options were endless. At one point I was even on the phone with the College of Sports Media in Ontario.

Once I stumbled upon the Radio Arts & Entertainment program at BCIT, I didn’t really think anything of it. I applied for a spot in the program and after a few weeks of setting things up, I was enrolled to go to post-secondary, I was headed back to school.

Reminiscing back on the early days of being a student at BCIT is difficult because it was really a completely different world than it is as I depart. I recall back to my very first day, I didn’t know one single person within 10 kilometers of campus. What I did know is that it was a chance to get back out there and meet new people, temporary or not, it was exciting.

As things slowly ramped up, the next two years began to become a longshot. I couldn’t tell you how many times I just wanted to get up and leave, not because of any external factors, just because of how uncomfortable I was in the setting.

Eventually, it got easier, as everything single other thing does in this crazy life. I met some new classmates that I now consider great friends of mine. We helped each other with our assignments and projects, but we also just talked about stuff. The types of friendships you find in the most uncomfortable situations are ones that should be cherished.

Looking back on some of the things I have learned, not only out of the books or the powerpoints but also about myself, these are the lessons that are irreplaceable. The past two years have given me a better perspective on how to approach my life, because of how tough things were to actually get up and do.

I picked up lessons along the way like they were coins and I was Mario. About 20 months ago, Gord Eno told my classmates and I that this was going to the fastest two years of our lives, and now I can officially say that he was right.

Rachael Hunter taught me how important it was to remain on schedule, something I literally had problems with since I was missing my soccer practices at 11 years old. Throughout business communications class, Rachael made sure that we paid the utmost attention to detail, and pushed us to be better with every assignment.

Brian Wiebe was an instructor that you would think is your close bro until you realize he’s your teacher again. I will always remember going to grab a coffee from Tim’s and just chilling with the squad in journalism class, talking about interesting things for the first ten minutes, it didn’t feel like school at all.

These are just a shred of the examples I can talk about on why I enjoyed my experience at BCIT. Of course, it had its downtimes. We may have had equipment or space trouble, or a deadly global pandemic strike in the middle of our time in the program, but I’m here and I’m alive.

I can say with one-hundred-percent honesty, that this has been a stint of time I will cherish for the rest of my life. Of course, the school is great and the knowledge is awesome to have in my back pocket, but it goes far beyond what I can do or write on a piece of paper when it comes to what I leave BCIT with.

I leave with a vision, empowerment, and THE ABILITY TO DO YOGA!

I leave with opportunity and growth, and the feeling of being able to attack the next task on my list of things to do in my twenties.

I wish I could have seen you more, and we could’ve celebrated tonight at the bar on campus, but to my classmates, I respect all of you and have no doubt you can do whatever you set your minds to. You made this time so enjoyable and I am hyped for the future.

To myself, I am proud of you man. You got out of your comfort zone and made it to the point you once thought wouldn’t come. It isn’t much, but it’s got to be at least a couple of bricks on this house of life.

 

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