I don’t know what will happen after I graduate.
I know I have family coming to visit me, my mom flying out from Nevada to celebrate me finally finishing college. I know I have the honor of being in my best friend’s wedding less than a week after we graduate together. I know I am thrilled to have an internship lined up with The Frontier, an incredible nonprofit newspaper I’ve admired for years.
Beyond that, though? I’m at a loss. I have no way to guess what happens next. I’ve always struggled with a fear of the unknown, the unpredictable.
In my four years at the OU Daily, I’ve found that grappling with those unknowns, the unpredictable situations, is actually incredibly fulfilling.
I never know what I will hear when I pick up the phone or read when I check my email. It could be a tip about the understaffing of the OU Police Department or a unique part of the body donation program at OU’s medical school. I could be greeted by pictures of a rare pink grasshopper or adorable baby geese. It could be the 100th alert about a stolen e-scooter that I am in no way responsible for, despite a fraught personal history with scooters.
My fear of the unknown is actually what drove me to cover science and history in the first place. By speaking with people who dedicate their entire lives to breaking down mysteries, from those of the past to those of the present, I’ve had the honor of chipping away at the mountain of the things I don’t know.
However, I’ve also learned something oddly comforting. Almost all of the people I’ve interviewed over the years have agreed on one thing, no matter their personal backgrounds: people don’t know a lot of things. Most things, actually. That’s why it is so fun to learn, to read and watch and listen.
In my time at the OU Daily, I’ve become much more comfortable with embracing the unknown. I now struggle to find a balance, often finding myself falling down research rabbit holes that have no real bearing on the story or paper I’m working on but I still find it fascinating to crawl through instead of ducking my head into the sand in fear.
I have no doubt that, thanks to my time at the Daily and the many incredible people who work there, I’ll find the balance soon enough.
Still, I have no idea what will happen after I graduate. Isn’t that exciting?
Jazz Wolfe is a journalism and history of science graduate. They served as culture intern, culture editor, editor-in-chief, news editor and senior news reporter during their time at the Daily. They interned at the Enid News & Eagle and Oklahoma Watch, and they will intern at The Frontier in Oklahoma City this summer.
Read some of Jazz’s work:
