I am amazed (and envious!) of people who know exactly what they want to do. Those who know they want to act or write or be a doctor. I have never been that way. I have always chased different interests down side paths only to realize that the passion wasn’t there to sustain me. I am still searching for that one interest that will hold my attention. And my greatest fear is that I won’t find that interest.
After graduating from college, I was lucky enough to get a job at National Geographic working for the magazine. I worked closely with some of the top photographers in the world and the photo editors that chose which images were published in the coveted magazine. I had a strong interest in photography and when I was offered the job, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough.
I spent two years learning the ropes and discovering how the illustrious magazine gets put together. I found out that being a National Geographic photographer is not as glamorous as many people think, and I also found out that there were many people with many different opinions who took part in the layout and design of published stories. The experience opened my eyes to the way that print journalism works at a monthly publication.
I had a strong interest in film and television production which led me to dream of a fabulous life in New York where I could work as a television or film producer. Before pursuing that, however, I decided to explore my interest in science and healthcare. Having been raised by a very intuitive, compassionate and loving mother who had recently begun working toward her social work masters, I thought that becoming a doctor might be a perfect match for me. While it seems like science and medicine are completely different from the creative, exciting world of film and publishing, I was almost equally drawn to each in an odd way.
I began a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program at the University of Virginia in 2011, hoping to further understand the current healthcare system and determine whether an M.D. made sense for me.
You guessed it…
I am not a doctor! After one year of organic chemistry, biology, labs, shadowing doctors and volunteering in the hospital, I realized that this work was better left to those passionate about medicine who enjoyed working in hospital and clinical settings. I had learned that this just wasn’t my cup of tea. And I had developed a much greater appreciation for the challenging life that most doctors lead, especially as healthcare continues to change so drastically in the United States.
Finally in 2012, I made it to New York! I was living with a close friend in Brooklyn and searching for jobs in the television and film industry.
Sprinkled in between the main highlights that I mention above were lots of little side journeys. These included theater and film acting, a job at the Apple Store, training in alternative healing techniques like Reiki and “Tapping”, writing and taking photos for a small newspaper, starting a web design business called Pink Dragon Creative and doing some awesome backpacking and traveling.
After a year in New York working on television shows for National Geographic, Animal Planet and Travel Channel, I realized that I wasn’t thriving in New York and that I didn’t want to fight my way up the ladder in television production. I moved home to D.C. and took a break before getting a new opportunity to be an associate producer at Smithsonian Channel. My work at Smithsonian was exciting and challenging. I worked on documentaries about historical, military and scientific topics and learned a lot from some very talented people. I was offered an exciting opportunity as a photo editor at Science Magazine which led me to leave Smithsonian Channel and spend over a year working on some exciting digital projects at Science.
Which leads me to my current situation. I left Science Magazine to pursue a life that I have not yet created but that I know exists. I know this deep down which is all that is keeping me on the path towards it. Thanks for taking this journey with me!
