Kaitlyn Staats: Purpose and Priorities
As I look back on my four years of college, I am reminded of how much work it took to get to where I am. There is one skill I have learned that has allowed me to graduate early with two degrees, a minor, and the experience of studying abroad: prioritization.
College is really the first time in your life that you are responsible for all of your commitments. It can be easy to roll over and snooze your alarm for an extra hour now that a parent isn’t yelling “wake up!” from downstairs. Or, plugging prompts into ChatGPT can seem way more useful than opening a book and spending an hour on an assignment for a class. And while it’s true that the fear of being caught can be a powerful incentive, understanding the implications behind each and every thing you do can help put priorities into perspective. In essence, understanding the bigger picture can help in understanding why you are doing what you’re doing and what this means for you both in the short and long run.
I knew I wanted to work in business, but I also knew that I loved music and wanted to keep pursuing my talents. I knew that even though my music major takes hours and hours of practice and preparation each week, this practice allows me to keep my creativity and problem solving skills sharp. Realistically, I might be able to get the same enjoyment out of simply listening to music in my free time, but I chose to study and pursue a degree in it because I want to prioritize the growth that practicing gives me.
I also knew that it was important to me to keep my mind engaged by always learning new things, including languages. So, I completed my language track here and wanted to expand my horizons. Studying abroad helped me expose myself to a plethora of new things, and the constant exposure to a new language cemented it into my brain and made my Italian studies within my music degree much more native.
Knowing that there were a few goals that I was always working towards allowed me to prioritize and focus on what moved me. Yes, of course, my goal was to graduate with a degree, but understanding my greater goals of growth, ambition, self-discovery, creativity, and openness to new things allowed me to explore a wealth of opportunities here, from the Into the Wild outdoor club to becoming Co-president of the Santa Clara Consulting Club.
While there are many other interesting opportunities I would have loved to have been involved in during my time at Santa Clara, college has been instrumental in allowing me to figure out what I care about. The truth is, you will always feel pulled to prioritize the things that you truly want to do. Living in fear or hiding behind a false sense of self can lead you to feel regretful at the end of your time in college. When you look back on college, you will realize that the most memorable things were the classes, involvements, and projects that allowed you to express yourself by exploring your true interests. College is a time for discovery, and using this time to understand your priorities in what things motivate and inspire you will allow you to move forward in life with a purpose that fulfills you.