Fish and Chipps: What’s next?

I was standing at the customs station in Dulles International Airport in April 2015 when I was asked the toughest question of my life.

“What’s next?”

Two words. That’s it. For a kid who has always had something to say, I had nothing. I just stood there for five seconds with a dumbfounded look on my face.

All I could muster was, “Uh, know of any summer internships?”

As the customs agent chuckled and stamped my passport to bring me back into the United States, I realized then and there that this was the first time in my life when I had genuinely had no idea what’s next.

After spending a life-changing semester studying abroad in London and traveling all throughout Europe, I felt like I was coming back to America with nothing to show for it. I had no summer plans. I had no summer internship or job offers. I had nothing, and there I was, asking a customs patrol agent if he knew of any summer internships. How much more “first-world problem” could it get?

I’m a product of the “what’s next?” generation. We’ve grown up always planning for the next move or progression. We’re always being told to plan ahead and keep our eye on the future prize. Whether it’s planning ahead for an internship, job, graduate school or even our next semester, we’re always looking to the future. I see it in myself on a daily basis.

My friends joke that I’m always “tryna make moves,” meaning that I’m always thinking ahead and not enjoying the moments in front of me. When I was working as a co-op at The Boston Globe, I would always be thinking about the story two weeks ahead instead of the one I was working on now. I need a game plan, and I’ve always struggled to fly by the seat of my pants.

Ironically, I’m about to enter a profession that lives on the fly. Journalism produces its best work when there is no plan. Stories manifest themselves when you least expect it, and you have to be able to drop everything and roll with the punches when the story comes calling your way.

I still grapple with this battle every single day — the fight to not always think about “what’s next.” I have to constantly remind myself to enjoy the moments I’m in now, but as the final days of my Boston University career come to an end, I feel like I’m finally embracing “now” and worrying less about what’s next.

Four years ago, I would’ve never understood or adapted to that. As a freshman, I didn’t understand much of anything beyond my own world, let alone the world I was about to encounter. As my parents moved me into Warren Towers and said goodbye, I had no idea that the next four years at Boston University would be so life changing.

This chapter of my life has been an incredible ride — a journey that has taken me down the path less traveled with a group of people I’m so lucky to call my friends and family. I look at the person I’ve become, and I know it’s because I’ve been blessed to have been surrounded by so many wonderful and inspiring people who constantly push me.

I still have much to learn, but I think I’m ready for the next chapter of my life and the many adventures that lie ahead. Journalism has taken me to some incredible places and allowed me to meet fascinating people, but I’m hungry for so much more. I’m ready to go out in the world and make a difference through my words and my pen. I’m ready to tell stories and be a voice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this column as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Fish and Chipps was the perfect outlet for me to express my weekly thoughts on the intersection of society and sports. My goal was never to provoke, but to make you think. If you read one of my columns and came away with a different view of the sports world, then I did my job.

Before Fish and Chipps peaces out, I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.

To the City of Boston: Thank you for showing me what family and resiliency mean. Thank you for adopting me and making me feel like one of your own. I’m an Ohioan at heart, but I’ll always have Boston in my blood.

To my Boston University friends and family: Thank you for every opportunity you have afforded me, and thank you for putting me in a position to succeed. I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the people I met at BU. I’ll always be a proud Terrier.

To the fam and homies: Thank you for loving me and accepting me for who I am. Thank you for always keeping me humble and embracing my fatal flaws (including my constant use of dumb phrases and loud snoring). Thank you for being the best friends a kid could ever ask for.

To every player, coach, parent and source: Thank you for entrusting me to tell your story. Thank you for being open and honest with me. And thank you for always calling me back. I have learned so much about grit, determination and love for the game from all of you. You motivate me every day to pursue the best stories the world has to offer.

To my professors, editors and mentors: Thank you for teaching me to never settle for anything but my very best. Thank you for pushing me and believing in me. Thank you for showing me how to look for the unconventional stories and dig deeper to find the people who need a voice. Thank you for all of the support and advice you’ve given me over the years. I am forever indebted to all of you.

To the world’s greatest dogs, Apollo (RIP) and Winnie: Thank you for being my spirit guides, a source of inspiration and the only beings in this world who can always put a smile on my face.

And finally, to my two superheroes, Mom and Dad: I love you more than words will ever be able to express. You are the hardest working people I have ever met, and you continue to inspire me every single day. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams and passions. Thank you for showing me what it takes to be a good person. Thank you for being my biggest supporters.

A few weeks after my incident at customs, things took a turn in the right direction, and eventually I landed a summer internship with USA TODAY Sports in Washington D.C. It’s funny how things work out when you least expect it, but sometimes it takes a simple question with a complicated answer to make you realize that life doesn’t always have a set plan. Much of life is learning to go with the flow and rolling with the punches. I’ll battle this feeling for the rest of my life, but I’m ready for the challenge.

Exactly one year later, I think I finally have an appropriate answer for that customs agent.

What’s next?

Well, I’m off to ESPN for the summer, but truthfully, I have absolutely no idea what’s next.

And you know what? I can’t wait to find out.