10% Talent, 100% Faith in the Plan

My first experience of television as a 14-year old freshman
with WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

As I lay here wide awake in my Toledo, Ohio home, I think about the unexpected path to where I am today. The similar nights an entire decade ago laying in bed in New Salem, Michigan thinking, "How cool would it be if I could somehow become a sports broadcaster?" I'm not writing this to tell you about what it takes to be successful, I'm nowhere near that point in my life yet. Nor am I writing this to tell you how to live your life as the American Dream is in the eye of the beholder. Honestly, I'm writing this because prior to tonight, I had zero idea how I made it to this point of my life; 21-years old, entering my senior year of college and still with so much happiness. The reason college stress and the future uncertainty has not yet taken over my life is because of the people in it and to be honest, the way God has looked out for me.

I understand, admittedly, there used to be a time where I heard about somebody being 'blessed' or 'God having a plan' and I cringed. Now, I totally understand it. As anybody who knows me is aware, I've wanted to be a sports broadcaster since I was about ten years old. Never did I think it was actually possible but with the amazing people at Fox 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they helped that dream come true by allowing me to job shadow them and eventually, 'intern' (though we couldn't call it that since I wasn't receiving college credit). After almost three years at Fox, I took an absolute leap of faith to leave West Michigan and move to Toledo for college. Despite my friends, some family, and some mentors telling me to stay put in my hometown and go to college locally, something told me I had to attend the University of Toledo. The first few months of college weren't easy, I left my parents, grandparents, and younger sister who is honestly my best friend. And since we're on the topic of tough times, December of my freshman year (2014) was one of the low points of my life - I was failing my entry level math class, I was homesick, jobless, and I didn't know what the future had to offer. That's when Buckeye Cable Sports Network came along. I applied for a production assistant job with BCSN who I had heard a lot about from the UT broadcasting department. After a job interview, I was hired and the smile and joy came back to my life just before Christmas. After countless of hours in tutoring, I passed my math class with flying colors, my homesickness went away, and I fell in love with my new job.

It's been a crazy roller coaster ride over the past seven years of
pursuing this career.

Fast forward to today, I have been at BCSN for nearly three years and have gone from production assistant, cameraman, running audio, social media assistant, editor and now on-camera talent and journalist. Again, I'm not meaning this in an egotistical way. Instead, I'm trying to help others realize that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is not the worst thing in the world. At Fox 17, I had life extremely good. I was covering the Detroit Lions home games, going to Michigan football and basketball games, and doing everything that I wanted to do, especially for a high schooler. While I had the chance to attend Grand Valley State University or Central Michigan University for broadcasting and continue working with Fox 17, my heart (and God as well) drew me to Toledo. Like I said, until the end of December of 2014 I honestly doubted if this is where I was meant to be. Now, I realize low points in your life make for incredible and monumental highs. So many people see what I do on television and tell me, "That must be the coolest job ever!" And it is. At the same time, I've been incredibly lucky with amazing opportunities and people in my life, especially around my career. They always say if you pick a job/career that you like, you'll never work a day in your life and in the past five years, that's exactly the case. Once I stopped holding back from the path God was trying to show me and accepted the low points, life couldn't have gotten any better. Many people like to tell me that I deserve every opportunity I've been given but I don't agree with that, I truly believe I am one of the lucky ones that ended up exactly where they're supposed to be and whether or not that continues, is up to the man upstairs.

From dreaming about this at ten-years old, to this at age 21. I
couldn't be more thankful of the support and help.

It wasn't easy for me to leave home and trust what I felt in Toledo, Ohio. Especially after the first few depressing months of my college career, but everything worked itself out. Once I stopped stressing the little things and panicking about the future, everything fell into place. I'm not sure you'll get anything out of this blog post but as a former uncertain 18-year old, I can't believe where I am today. That's not to my credit at all, that's to everyone who has helped me along the way and honestly, once again to God for giving me that feeling and talking me into leaving home and my family. I don't know how things would have worked out if I never would have stepped out of my comfort zone but I don't need to. Here I am in Toledo with the best coworkers and job in the world (in my eyes), but again that's in the eye of the beholder, so go out and make the most of the opportunity you're given. Don't stress about the little things and focus on the big picture. Sometimes, the biggest message God is giving you is the smallest and easiest to find, so be sure to keep your eyes open and discover that. I just can't thank those that have supported me and aided me in my career journey and in my life, God truly does work in mysterious ways. Every day on this planet is a blessing and if you're doing what you love, that's an added luxury. This is just a late night rant and again, you probably didn't get anything out of it, but it's a way for me to gather my thoughts and realize how much I've been given in the first two decades of my life. We're all blessed in our own way. Thanks so much for reading and no matter the capacity, for being a part of my life.