Where Do I Go From Here?
By Ashley Studebaker 

My freshman year of college is in the books and I think to myself… “Where do I go from here?” Thinking about what I could do next gives me a few options. Options such as continuing my education at Wright State University, transferring to somewhere else that I feel may give me better opportunities, or I could do the not-so-wise thing and drop out. 

One thing is for sure, I definitely will not be dropping out. My other option that I will be crossing off is continuing my education at Wright State University. I will be transferring elsewhere. That elsewhere University will not be anywhere in Ohio, either. 

I know what you might be thinking: “BIG changes!” 

One thing that will stay intact is that I will continue to keep my major as Mass Communications and pursuing my passion and dream of becoming a sports reporter/broadcaster/journalist. I may decide to change direction in terms of colleges that I attend, but I can guarantee that the career path that I’m pursuing will never change. 

I have had this career path picked out since I was in eighth grade and it hasn’t changed since. I look at that as a true blessing. The stress of thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life can seem like a real burden at times, but lucky for me, I haven’t really had to worry about that. I have always had my passion for sports and learning all things about sports, especially the history of them. If you know me, you know I love to talk and I also have a crazy desire for writing, so why not combine those two? 

To be more specific, I will give you a little more detail of what my future plans MAY be. I plan on moving to South Carolina and attending Coastal Carolina University. I would not be moving down there until the spring semester so I will be taking a couple online classes during the fall through Sinclair to finish up my Bachelor’s degree. I could possibly have the opportunity of interning for Channel 7 News during the fall as well. Interning for Channel 7 would be a great opportunity for me to gain some experience in the broadcasting area. I have been very blessed to be able to gain experience with writing for different things dealing with sports through County News Online. I am grateful for the opportunity to do so by Bob Robinson. 

I know that the Lord has given me my passion for a reason and I firmly believe that it would be wrong for me not to pursue this path. It may be rare that your dream could be the same plan that the Lord has for you, but I see that as one of the biggest blessings of my life and I am eternally grateful for that.

I know that my future also includes the support of my amazing family, my Savior, my mentors, and my friends. I would have lost all confidence in chasing my dream if it was not for the support of all these people in my life. I know that I will never lose the support from my parents, but one person that I look up to and someone who has so much confidence in me is my brother. I really cannot thank him enough for the support that he has given me. It makes it that much easier to follow my dream.

Heading out of Ohio and moving onto to a different college seems to be in my best interest to achieve my dream, knowing that it will be an uphill battle. Becoming a female sports broadcaster and wanting to go as far as to making it to ESPN will definitely be a challenge, but I am looking forward to that challenge. So, here’s to moving on to bigger and better things.

Wish me luck! 

Editor’s Note: Ashley has been awarded two scholarships through the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund and has written several sports articles for County News Online.