Reclining on the downstairs couch of my home, ‘The Sopranos’ rolling across my screen, the stream of thoughts in my head landed on a decision to abandon journalism and pursue law school. Two years later, gearing up for three more years starting in August, I wouldn’t have had a chance without the experience journalism gave me.

My story isn’t unique in many ways, making a two-page personal statement for competitive law schools across the country difficult to stand out. But I worked closely with the law when I first joined The Daily Iowan as a crime, cops, and courts reporter.

The dark street and alley encircling the H-Bar just outside of downtown Iowa City sticks with me, just 19 years old, and standing where someone had been shot and killed days before, waiting for the bar’s owners to show face for our interview.

That became my story. I was willing to get into the weeds of crimes and the law if it meant serving the community around me. It spoke to what inspired me to go to law school and to what kind of lawyer I’d be, and I never would’ve had that story if I didn’t take the chances the DI gave me.

Reflecting on the last three years across roles as news reporter, sports reporter, all the way to sports editor, it amazes me law school didn’t catch my eye earlier.

I was quick to explore the significant rent increases and property maintenance issues experienced by residents in mobile home communities in Johnson County, interviewing the late Don Lund, and learning from him to simply sit still, listen, and be grateful.

I did the same alongside Jami Martin-Trainor, our executive editor and one of my good friends and frequent co-writers over the years, as we tackled it all — the explosive rise of Caitlin Clark and the attention that put on unequal pay between men’s and women’s college sports, the dismissal of the interim softball coach, and the House settlement’s impact on college athletics.

Of course, my work at the DI came with some fun too. Not many of even the best sports reporters got to see what my two eyes did.

I was just a few dozen feet away when Clark passed Megan Gustafson, Lynette Woodard, and Pete Maravich for their respective college basketball records. I spoke with Iowa’s biggest icons, from Kirk Ferentz to Spencer Lee.

And from Theo Von and Travis Scott to Coby White and Bo Nickal, I’ve met celebrities that frequently catch a “wow” or two from friends and family. And I’ve collected a handful of friends who inspire me every day and, namely my guy Chris Meglio, excite me to see how far they’ll all go beyond our little bubble right inside the Adler Journalism Building.

But it’s important to recognize how our experiences inform who we are today.

When most college kids hit campus and get caught up in the freedom, friends, and fun nights out above anything else, that can’t blind us from how important the opportunities we pursue in these four years determine the rest of our lives.

Too many let those very four years pass by until just weeks before graduation. By then, the resume is empty, and more importantly, the utter absence of experience has already made a clear lack of definition, drive, and guidance in what to do next.

At no point in my work with the DI was it easy. We had to ask the tough questions, confront uncomfortable sources, and tip-toe across shaky subjects. But that’s what real journalists do, and if you don’t treat yourself that way, you won’t become a real journalist anyway.

And, well, I won’t be a real journalist. But the drive to be the best writer, tell the strongest story, and absorb the most from the people around me — and everything in between — over the last three years of working like a real journalist will propel me into the greater future I envision living in.