Now that I’m a recent graduate from the University of Washington, I see that my undergraduate career was a whirlwind of events that culminated in me being where I am today. If I had to recount how I got here, it all started with my decision to come to the UW. I came to the UW not knowing anyone. A majority of the people in my graduating high school class went to either University of Oregon or Oregon State University. Not gonna lie, my decision to come to the UW was primarily based on a hunch that if I followed my friends to U of O or OSU, I would get caught up in a high school friend group and not have a true chance to grow up and figure things out on my own. By coming to the UW, I took a leap in faith in myself to define my own path and life.
Before starting classes my freshman year, I auditioned for the Husky Marching Band (HMB). I did this to make the big UW community into a smaller, more manageable group to navigate. I didn’t have marching band growing up so the whole world of marching band came at me like a hurricane. I can easily think back to pre-school drills and all of the cramps, aches, and bananas eaten. The week-long band camp was topped with a Husky football game and my first ever marching band performance. I still get chills thinking back to that first game. My decision to join HMB would be a foundational pillar in my undergraduate career as it led me to many life experiences and memories that I will carry with me till the end of my life.
Through HMB, I was able to find my major, Community, Environment, and Planning (CEP). My section leader when I first joined the band was Christian Read. Christian was a junior in CEP, and he hyped CEP up so much that I decided to take CEP 200: Introduction to Community, Environment, and Planning. By taking CEP 200, I was given a crash course in what CEP is. Mind you I’m taking this class in Winter Quarter of my freshman year, so I still had plenty of time to explore other majors at the UW. One concept that stuck with me from CEP is the concept of place-making. My curiosity in place-making led me to take courses from the Geography department. All of my sophomore year, I had at least one geography course a quarter and I was seriously considering majoring in Geography at one point, but there was something off about the major. For my own personal taste, I thought the major had too much emphasis on research. What I wanted was a major that offered application of techniques in the real-world and not heavily focused on research. By the time Winter Quarter came around, I knew it was time to start applying for majors. I was nervous applying for majors since all of my roommates at the time knew what they were majoring in: Cam was in Electrical Engineering, Nick was in Anthropology, Patrick was in Poly Sci, Eric was in JSIS, and Ben and Jerry were on a pre-med track. I was the only one that had no major. My time in CEP 200 was enjoyable and I had met with the major advisor several times to ask questions so I thought CEP would be a good fit for me. CEP was the only major I applied for and thank god I got in.
Once I started CEP my junior year, I felt that I was finally ready to take control of my education. I spent my freshman and sophomore years clearing my general requirements so I can flex my schedule my remaining two years of college. I still had an interest in place-making, so I thought to myself, “why not try out the introduction to landscape architecture course”. Turns out that course was exactly what I was looking for when I thought of place-making. The course was both theory and application as each assignment allowed us to turn our thoughts into scale models and site plans. After that one course, I planned to minor in Urban Ecological Design.
Besides my courses in Urban Ecological Design, my favorite memories my junior year involve bonding with my CEP cohort. I came to the UW to define my own journey and meet new people. I met new people and friends through HMB, but the people I met in CEP were just different. They had a different energy to them; everyone was in the major because they wanted to be part of a community that pushed itself to grow. This was one reason why I joined CEP and is the reason why I stayed. The collaborative nature of CEP with support from friends is what I needed for my personal growth; it allowed me to explore my interests and curiosities with the safety net of a major that cares.
Moving into my senior year of college, I’m a drum major for HMB. I never would have imagined I’d be a drum major my freshman year, but it was a bit of a rough season for a few reasons. The first being that they don’t tell you how difficult the position can be at sometimes. When you’re the drum major, you’re the guy out front with a big, feather hat. There’s an added pressure to be as near perfect as possible since all of your actions are noticeable by the crowd in the stands and by your band-members. To handle the pressure, I used CEP as a getaway from my band life to unwind a bit before the nighttime rehearsals. Then the bus crash happened. You never think something big that will happen to you until it happens. After it happened, I was sidelined from the field for two weeks. All I could think about was getting back on to the field to spin my batons.
Quick sidebar, I should mention that I had auditioned for the drum major position twice before being awarded the position after my third try-out. After being denied twice, I almost didn’t audition again. When I got the call from Dr. McDavid saying he wanted me to be in the position, I couldn’t believe what he said. Now taking us back to where we left off, I wouldn’t let a back injury stop me from finishing the season on a high. I didn’t go through three audition processes and countless hours to be sidelined at the biggest bowl game in college football. Between the time of the bus crash and the Rose Bowl, I as much training and physical therapy as possible to get into the necessary shape to be cleared by the doctor and perform in the Rose Bowl. For that whole situation, I learned to dig deep inside yourself to preserve when the odds are against you. I’m grateful for all of the love and support from friends and family and will always use them as a support system when I need their help.
Through CEP and HMB, I’ve grown to be the person I am today. If I had gone anywhere else in the US, I don’t think I would have a direction for what to do after graduation. Because of CEP’s emphasis in intentional learning, I’ve grown to be thoughtful and conscious in the information I absorb in my everyday life. I look at my personal projects with a critical eye and I’m constantly thinking about what can be improved until I’m satisfied with the final product.
My plans for graduation are to go into the community outreach field. If that doesn’t work, I know I’ll land on my feet somewhere since CEP has taught me the skills necessary advance my professional and personal development.