Be sure to be on the lookout for opportunities this summer.
Dear students,
If the last day of classes wasn't enough of a reminder, my middle schooler's concert band competition down at the Schlitterbahn water amusement park was a sign that summer is almost here.
Summers are great opportunities. My first summer in college, I took a programming course (FORTRAN, ever heard of it?), and it turned out to help me in getting a job with a professor over sophomore year. Summer after sophomore year, I used my programming to develop analysis software for that professor's research group, and the next summer that software turned out to be useful as his team was preparing a journal publication. I could have never linked them together as being related or building toward anything, but each summer's topic brought a pleasure of working hard.
This week I heard a similar thought from a graduating senior who'd found a competitive job. It was gratifying to hear because he's an inquisitive person and he'd changed majors early on and later added a second major; so his new job is the end of a real journey. I asked him if, 3 years ago when we first spoke about him changing majors, he could have imagined where he's ended up now; he said something thought-provoking: "I couldn't have imagined looking forward that this is where I'd be, but looking back it all makes sense." The job he'd found turned out to be the amalgamation of the majors, the research, and all the skills he'd pursued here at UT.
The experiences we have and pursuits we undertake weave together like a tapestry to form our selves -- an allegory once told by a Native American weaver. Make those threads strong. Even as we are working hard to finish this semester and finals , I hope you're looking forward to a fabulous summer full of possibilities.
Best wishes for the coming week,
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