When people say they almost dropped out, they don’t really mean it. In my case, it happened once a semester.
When I got here and my freshman year was nothing like I had hoped, I suddenly hated OU. I still wonder what my life would have been like if I knew what to expect. My sophomore year, I joined the rowing team as a walk-on and thought that would be my future. I got dismissed from the team when I got a concussion that I took too long to recover from. I changed my major from petroleum engineering to petroleum geology. That went about as well as you would expect. I thought, “Hey, maybe this is just not for you.”
I went through so much emotional turmoil in the basement of Sarkeys Energy Center. After another failed class, I changed my major, again, this time to computer science.
“Maybe this would be it for me,” I thought. “A job that is strictly computers and little creativity.”
However, nothing ever goes to plan. In January 2020, during winter break, my dad had a heart attack at work. I never even got to say goodbye. However, I made a promise to him in the hospital, even though he couldn’t hear me, that I’d graduate from this university if it was the last thing I did.
His funeral was the day before my scheduled flight.
I’ll never forget making the call to my adviser and telling her I was not coming back that semester. It put so much into perspective for me. After a semester off to grieve, I changed my major for the third, and final, time to communication. I knew I had a choice to make about doing what I enjoyed versus something that made money, the conversation that everyone dreads having with their parents who pay for their out-of-state tuition. I wanted a career in something fun that didn’t feel like work. The next fall semester, I joined The OU Daily as an unpaid photo intern.
My first big assignment was Crimson and Queens, which moved to a pre-recorded show in Oklahoma City due to COVID-19. I remember taking a selfie with the camera because it was the nicest thing I had ever held in my hands and my dream camera at the time — a Canon Mark IV with a 70-200mm lens. After that, I took it on almost every visual request that I got assigned to. I’m not going to lie, I’m gonna miss my neck hurting from carrying it around. I cannot thank The Daily enough for giving me the chance to follow my dreams.
It’s poetic because Crimson and Queens was also the last thing I covered here with The Daily. In between, I shot soccer, basketball and some other stories that really just helped me solidify that passion for taking photos. Shooting sports was my favorite part, falling second to when visual editor Trey Young told me that former visual editor Caitlyn Epes said I had potential. I still remember telling everyone I know. As a girl who loves this industry that is extremely hard to stand out in, I’ll never forget that moment.
While no one in the newsroom probably saw anything of me other than the back of my head as I focused on Lightroom, I had fun. For those reporters and editors I did get to work with, thank you for being gentle with me and saying you liked my photos, even if I didn’t like them myself. I second guessed my work so many times only to receive the highest praise.
Special thanks to Trey and assistant visual editor Edward Reali for answering all of my million questions. Thanks to Seth Prince and The Daily for giving me the place to follow my passions. I wish I had more time with you all, but I think a sixth year is a little too much.
If I had two pieces of advice to give, they’d be simple. First, follow your dreams. Life is too short to do things that don’t bring you joy. Second, you can probably crop that photo tighter.
I have no idea what I will be doing after graduation, similar to thousands of other seniors across the nation. However, I do know that The Daily will hold a special place in my heart. It is a place that gave me some of my favorite memories during the rollercoaster known as college.
Onward!
Shelby Reasor joined The Daily in spring 2021 as an unpaid photo intern and has served as a junior photographer since fall 2021.
