After focusing on our spring print issue of Looking Forward, I've been spending some time doing the inverse: looking backwards. What I did wrong, what I did right, what I would've done differently. Lingering in the past is often pointless, but reflection is good when done thoughtfully. Aristotle himself said that wisdom is a combination of experience and reflection. Without reflection, we learn nothing, and we become stagnant.
Last year, I took a bold leap when I applied to be Editor-in-Chief. I wasn't prepared to do it, but I learned as I went. I can't be more honored to have been entrusted with this position. From this, I learned that I need to take a chance on myself more often. If you told me a year ago that we would publish one of the first student-produced Augmented Reality print publications in the world, I would've laughed in your face. But look where we are now.
As we approach graduation, I want to leave all of you with the same message: Take chances. Learn as you go. Do something new and exciting, even if you don't think you can, even if you think it's impossible. Give it a shot. The worst mistake you could make is never trying. Even if you fail, you can feel satisfied knowing that you did something. After all, like Lauren James said in the Spring 2021 edition of Garnet & Black, "F is for Forward." Failure is how we learn. It's a regular part of life, not something to be ashamed of. I've failed more times than I can count, but I learned from all of them. I discovered my limits, and knew how to do better the next time.
So if you're graduating, apply for that job across the country, or the prestigious grad school program, or that internship you've had your eye on. The only way for others to give you a chance, is if you take a chance on yourself first.
For those who aren't graduating quite yet, keep doing the same.
It all starts with giving yourself a chance. That's what I did a year ago when I applied for the best job in the world, and I never looked back for a moment.
As I sign off for the last time, thanks for reading Garnet & Black Magazine.
Aaron Falls
Editor-in-Chief
