My name is Maya Beals and I am a Freshman at Montclair State University, majoring in Journalism. Upon starting my first semester I was excited to see how all my classes would be orchestrated and if I would adapt well. High school is so different from college and I was not sure if I would have been able to adjust so well right away. Once I reached campus and classes began, I set a list of goals and things I wanted to accomplish by the end of the semester for myself. Two goals I set were to: make the dean’s list and maintain my high grade point average. With the courses I took over the semester, it was not hard to keep up with the workload and stay engaged. But, most days it was hard to focus, I lost motivation, and sometimes got distracted by other less important things. What helped me get back on track every time I found myself becoming uninterested, was being able to remember the set of goals I made and where I wanted to be in four years. I plan on graduating in the respected time in the spring of 2024. With this plan, I know I have to stay on top of my work and not slack in any area. Not only is it important for me to graduate on time, but in the next couple of years I have to be able to build my “personal brand” and put myself out there. So far, I have been able to work on this slightly. In my Multimedia Toolkit course, my professor has pushed all of us to create numerous websites where we can make posts for anyone to see and have our work out there. If it were not for that course, I really do not believe I would have started creating those websites as early as I did.
My passion and interests have grown over this year. Due to the pandemic, I spent a lot of time learning about myself and exploring the areas that interest me most. For example, quaratnine in March 2020, taught me that I love “self-care.” Anything self-care I love even if it is creating a homemade face mask and applying it while playing music in my room. Before quarantine I have always had a love for writing. But, during that time I found myself writing more. It was maining me jotting down notes, writing affirmations for a new month, thoughts, ideas, stories, etc.… Once the semester started, I began to love taking pictures and documenting good moments and memories. I also enjoy being able to help others, whether that may be giving advice or doing a favor when I can. Because of these interest and the things that helped me to realize them, I can say I am a better person and more focused on better things in life.
As I mentioned previously, I recently got the chance to create new websites and start blogs and make different media posts. My favorite thus far is called: “A Day in The Life of A Determined College Student.” (https://mayabeals.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-determined-college-student/). In that post, I shadowed a friend of mine for a day and documented her daily activities and agenda with a brief overview.
Another piece of media I created in this semester is called: “On A Mission.” It was based on a series of photos I had to take to match the criteria of the assignment. It was the first assignment I had that I took pictures on a professional camera. Although it is not my best work, I appreciate it the most because it gives me a chance to be able to compare later in the future. As I continue to learn new techniques and lessons, I hope to be able to see the difference in my work soon enough. (https://mayabeals.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/on-a-mission/ ).
As of right now, My dream job is to be a journalist. I have not yet figured out what type of journalist, but I definently know that is what I want to be. I have always been a good writer and my interest for writing and covering stories has always been high since high school. I use to do interviews on students and teachers that were included in our schools newspaper every week, as well as writing numerous pieces for my journalism class. Although I am not completely sure what type of journalist I plan to be, the courses I have taken in my first semester helped me create an idea of what it would be like to be one. These courses introduced me to the life I plan to live in the upcoming years, and I, so far, love it! From college to my dream job, I will continue to push myself and set up goals for myself to flourish in this profession. No one knows what the future of journalism holds, but I have faith in myself that as every year passes, I will stay up on the new and latest things and keep myself busy to continue building my personal brand and story.
