I started college at Penn State University in 2018, violin in hand. I thought my four years of education would include songwriting, music theory, and learning Mozart concertos. I had no idea what was in store for me.

Turns out, spending 6 hours a day in the practice rooms wasn’t my idea of a fulfilling college experience. I loved the sense of community and the creative nature of being a musician, but I was miserable watching all my friends enjoy the social aspects of college life while I drilled away at Rachmaninoff until my fingers blistered. After speaking with a career advisor, I changed my major to Public Relations.

I was settling into State College and branching out by doing things like rushing Alpha Delta Pi, completing my first internship, and planning to study abroad in the spring of 2020, that was, until COVID hit. My summer internship in Paris was canceled, alongside every single other in-person live event for the next 18 months. Suffice it to say I was crushed. I took the Spring 2021 semester off to focus on my mental health and postpone my education until virtual learning was no longer the default instruction. ADHD and Zoom do not go well together.

This time off from school allowed me to pursue my creative passions as a songwriter. I spent time in the recording studio at Happy Valley Song Lab, was promoted to shift supervisor at my part-time job, and toured with My Hero Zero as their assistant tour manager. Previously I had been taking classes every fall, spring, and summer semester. Not only was my gap semester well earned, but it was also well spent.

Without delaying my graduation, I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill my dream of studying abroad. Instead of spending what would be my final semester with my friends and sorority sisters, I traveled to Italy and studied at Temple University Rome. I took classes on subjects I’d never had the time for and I learned about Italian culture, art, history, and fashion. I traveled around the country, taking trips to Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Naples, Pompeii, and Amalfi, to name a few. The fresh perspective and friendships I built while studying abroad have augmented my life and provided a global view of business and communication that I otherwise would’ve lacked. Graduating with a PR degree in December 2022 was never my plan, but I’m delighted it turned out that way.