I’m pretty superstitious. I never spill salt, I read my horoscopes religiously and I’ve always made a point of never walking near the seal at Marsh Chapel. So, last year when I accidently stepped on the seal in front of Marsh, I immediately panicked. Legend has it that if you step on that seal, you won’t graduate in four years. In that moment, I decided to suspend my belief, go about my day and pretend that my little misstep never happened. But low and behold, the superstition held true – I should have known! This summer, I broke my leg and I decided to move home for the semester to deal with my recovery. Goodbye Class of 2018, hello Class of 2019.
It’s undeniable that my stars didn’t align the way I thought they would and I got hit with some pretty bad luck. But as every superstitious person knows, bad luck doesn’t stick around forever. I’m fortunate enough to call Washington D.C. my home and even though the odds were probably against me, I landed a full-time internship on Capitol Hill. Since breaking my leg, I’ve been trying to convince myself this injury is a blessing in disguise. At times, it’s been hard to see the positives, but when I rolled into my office on my hot pink knee scooter, it felt like blessings kept falling into my lap (sans disguise).
There’s something special about the United States Capitol. The buildings are beautiful and the whole vibe is almost collegiate. The Capitol buzzes with energetic, nerdy, well-dressed young professionals and college kids. Everyone’s so passionate, so driven, so intimidating!
My first day felt rather odd. A consequence of growing up in Washington D.C. is that I never thought about the function of the Capitol building. To me, it was always just an architectural feature of my hometown. For my entire life, I’ve looked at that building as a museum with a beautiful exterior. I never considered the function in any real capacity, probably because Washington D.C. doesn’t have a voting member of Congress. But when I was inside the Capitol building for the first time with my credentialed ID, the gravity of my situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I was interning in a place of incredible history and significance that’s still beyond my comprehension. What I perceived to be a misstep of cosmic proportions catapulted me into the most beautiful and important building in Washington D.C. — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I’ve always loved my hometown, but since going to college, I haven’t been home much. All my memories from this city are from childhood and my teens. I’m so excited for this opportunity to explore my hometown as a young adult. Some D.C. hallmarks include boozy brunches, themed happy hours and men who wear suits on the daily! How fabulous, right?
On a more serious note, I feel like the only thing every senior in college wants is a little more time to find out what they want, a little more time to hone their skills and a little more time as an undergrad.
Even though I broke my leg, I got all that and so much more. When the universe threw a wrench into my plans, it became clear the only thing I could control is my attitude. Senior year won’t be what I thought it was going to be, and that’s OK. Life’s full of setbacks, but it’s also full of opportunities.
Today when I opened snapchat to get my Cosmo horoscope, it was unsurprisingly insightful: “You may have had some false starts recently, but you are about to shift into major work mode and seriously kick butt! But rather than charging into situations with guns blazing, it’s better to feel things out intuitively.” That’s exactly what I plan on doing.
