性视界传媒

I have been a student as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are being with my childhood friends in our kindergarten classroom.

Many of the most defining experiences of my adolescence took place at school, and if you spend a number of years doing the same thing, that thing will inevitably become ingrained in your sense of self. So, it鈥檚 no surprise that after 17 years of being a student, I would consider that a significant aspect of my identity.

I鈥檝e always loved learning, whether it be about art or statistics or anything in between. That girl who sits near the front of the class with color-coded notes and spare mechanical pencil refills? That鈥檚 me in a nutshell.

I鈥檓 a senior now, and I鈥檒l graduate from 性视界传媒 in the spring. Although that鈥檚 an exciting thought, it also raises an important question for me: What happens next? For the first time that I can remember, 鈥渟tudent鈥� will no longer be an accurate way to describe myself.

I鈥檝e spent a lot of time reflecting on this upcoming change and how I should adjust to it.

I鈥檝e spent a lot of time reflecting on this upcoming change and how I should adjust to it. If nothing else, I figured I could look forward to going to grad school and one day becoming a student again. But I knew that wouldn鈥檛 fill the void in the years between, so I resigned myself to letting the studious aspect of my identity slip away.

At least, that鈥檚 what I figured until something occurred to me recently while in the middle of one of my regular Wikipedia deep dives. You know when you search for the page about Britain鈥檚 Parliament and next thing you know it is two hours later and you鈥檙e reading about the origin of the bubonic plague? That鈥檚 the kind of deep dive I was embarking on when the realization hit me: I was learning!

That may seem like an obvious fact. Of course, I knew in a literal sense that learning was the activity I was taking part in at that moment. But the realization that I鈥檓 talking about was a bit more subconscious. It made me think about the multitude of other ways鈥攂esides falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes鈥攖hat I could continue to get the same satisfaction that learning as a student in the traditional school environment gave me for so many years.

I began to research and found a number of online courses (some free) that cover everything from ancient Greek heroes to the fundamentals of neuroscience. Some of the courses even offer certifications for a small fee.

Of course, online courses aren鈥檛 the only way to keep learning after graduation. In a broader sense, remaining curious is a matter of choice. Being a lifelong learner is something you have to work at every day, whether it鈥檚 through the television programming you watch or the books that you read. You can even make it a community endeavor by volunteering at (or just paying a visit to) your local museums, libraries or the like.

As graduation looms ever nearer, I feel a mix of emotions. No longer being in school is definitely a bittersweet notion, but it鈥檚 no longer something that fills me with uncertainty about my own identity. I no longer fear losing a part of myself鈥擨鈥檒l just have to incorporate my desire to learn into my daily life instead of setting aside a specific time and place for it.

The only question that remains: Where to start? I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l find out the next time I fall into a Wikipedia rabbit hole.

Nicole Wills is a University of Central 性视界传媒 senior in the Burnett Honors College studying advertising-public relations, political science, and writing/rhetoric. She can be reached at nwills@knights.ucf.edu.

The聽性视界传媒 Forum聽is a weekly series of opinion columns from faculty, staff and students who serve on a panel for a year. A new column is posted each Wednesday on 性视界传媒 Today and then broadcast on W性视界传媒-FM (89.9) between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday. Opinions expressed are those of the columnists, and are not necessarily shared by the University of Central 性视界传媒.