Dear readers,
Change. It’s something I’ve feared for a long time. I’ve always enjoyed the constant state of normalcy and having a foundational routine to rely upon. When I was younger, I would immediately get anxious when our typical classroom plans were replaced with something new.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is a scary thing. I stayed within mine for far too long. Going to college was one of the first ways I stepped outside of mine, going outside the brinks of Omaha to Lincoln. Freshman-year me knew that I was only an hour-long drive away from home, but learning to adjust to a new city, new people and living a life where I can no longer rely on my mom to cook dinner for me took time.
I was comfortable with what I had known for those 17 years of my life at home — until I wasn’t. It took lots of calls home with my parents, crying on the phone, unsure about what I was doing and worried about finding the right people I could call my friends. I figured it out, but during that period of time, I learned that it was okay to have trouble adjusting to change.
As someone who has always hated change, I learned that it’s extremely important, because I learned so much from the new opportunities that came my way. Whether it was something as little as registering for fun new classes, talking to someone I didn’t know in class or walking a new route to my apartment, or something as big as applying for summer internships and breaking up with my long-term boyfriend, I learned a lesson from each event: that change can be scary, but it’s necessary in order to grow.
One of the biggest changes in my life has been my journey at The Daily Nebraskan. After not working my first semester of my freshman year because my parents insisted that I not let anything interfere with my school, I took the leap and applied to The Daily Nebraskan. I then began working as a social media copywriter in the spring, and just as quickly as I started, the end of the year arrived. My editor at the time asked me if I’d like to apply for her position next year. With just a little bit of hesitation, questioning whether I was right for the job, I said, “Sure, why not?” and took the biggest step out of my comfort zone.
I was scared. I had been at The Daily Nebraskan for just short three months before I moved to senior staff. I didn’t really know anyone, but little did I know, I made one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve met so many people I now call some of my closest friends.
I went from social media copywriter to being the social media director, a title I never thought I would have in my time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was daunting. I started with just myself and built the section from the ground up. Now I have nine staffers. With that, I took everything I envisioned the engagement section to be and made it a reality, constantly bringing up obscure ideas to my social media managers. I learned to completely rebuild our social platforms and expand the content we produce.
Leading a section and working in the office with some of some of the funniest, kindest and incredibly talented people I know has been one new change in my life that I am so incredibly thankful for. My love for The Daily Nebraskan has flourished so much since last year, starting as an anxious little freshman to now a sophomore, finally becoming confident with who I am as a person.
I’ve taken some risks, challenged some new ideas, turned failures into success and — most importantly — learned from the changes in my life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Now I encourage you to embrace the change that life brings.
With much love,
Lexie
Lexie Worden is a sophomore advertising and public relations and journalism double major. Reach her at lexieworden@dailynebraskan.com.