"I want to be a teacher!", seven-year-old me thought. "I want to teach kids and draw on the SMART board just like my teacher does, and when I'm a teacher we will all have extra recess," seven-year-old me thought.
"I want to be a veterinarian! I want to take care of dogs and puppies so that all of the animals in the world never have to hurt again", eleven-year-old me said.
"Maybe I'll be a forensic nurse," I thought at sixteen. "After all, I love watching criminal minds, so it could be interesting".
I was never good at committing to a specific dream. My young mind was curious and easily entertained by new ideas. I thought for sure I'd never be able to settle on a career path, and as I was beginning my junior year of high school, it felt more crucial than ever.
Sports always made up a large part of my life. I spent my whole life on the softball field, and majority of my teenage years on the volleyball court. Sports seemed to be the one thing in my life that remained constant, when everything else was ever-changing.
Throughout high school, my love for baseball spefically grew stronger. Of course my dad loved this, he finally had someone in the family who wanted to watch the games with him.
When I was 15 I presented my dream of visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums to my dad. Needless to say, it did not take much convincing.
Not even a week later, we had a weekend trip planned in Atlanta, Georgia to watch the Atlanta Braves. This was when I was able to officially check off my second Major Leage Ballpark.
Fast-forward to my junior year of high school and I had visited a total of ten stadiums when I finally reached the conclusion that baseball was the one thing that could consistently keep my interest.
Although I had no idea what I wanted to be, the one thing I seemed to always know was that I wanted to have a job that I was excited to go to everyday.
People that worked in baseball always seemed to be having so much fun, whether they were in the locker room, in the announcing booth, or on the sidelines. I yearned to have as much fun while working as they did.
That is when I discovered the major of sports media. Everyone always hears about sports management majors, but I had no idea that sports media was even a field of study. I thought that these people just got lucky, and that's how they ended up on the sidelines.
My dad told me that with a solid work ethic, and drive to achieve my dreams, that I would have no trouble being on the sidelines just as these individuals were. He never once doubted me, and for that reason I have never doubted myself.
If the sidelines are what I want, then the sidelines are what I'll get.
