It is hard to imagine that I have been in college for three years now. Time really has gone by fast, and now I’m three semesters away from graduating. I am currently enrolled at the University of Missouri, and it has arguably been the best decision of my life. In high school I was in marching band for all four years, and a member of Warrior Way and pep band.

For me, high school came as fast as it went. It was weird knowing that I would no longer attend LWW. At first it was definitely hard. I had a lot of adjusting that I needed to do. For those of you about to graduate, I will say that the transition will get easier, and soon high school will be in your rearview mirror. You will move on to bigger and better things. West gave me the opportunity to find out who I am and what I wanted to do, and by graduation I was prepared to move on.

I am now on track to graduate in the spring of 2022 with a degree in convergence journalism with an emphasis in multimedia production. Outside of academics, I’m on the club ultimate frisbee team, and that’s where I have made most of my friends. My goal for after college is to work for a large sports network, like ESPN or NBC Sports, or to work for a university’s athletic department.

I am currently employed at Mizzou Broadcast Operations as a student assistant. We are responsible for producing all of Mizzou’s sporting events and getting them onto ESPN, the SEC Network, or any of their apps for digital broadcasts. I have done things like running the score board that you see on TV to running replays to just being there to set up/strike the venue. I love my job so much, and it has opened a lot of doors for me and what I will be able to do in the future. I would hope to one day be a producer at ESPN and working big time games in the future.

For those of you that are nervous about leaving or just getting acquainted to West, know this: big things are ahead. Good things are on the way. Whether you plan to attend a 4-year university, a community college, or pursue a career in the trades, you’ll be okay. The plan is never set for everybody. For me, Mizzou was the last school I applied to, and now it is my forever home. The best thing ahead of you may be the last thing that you would ever expect. The bottom line is do not stress yourself out about the future. Enjoy the now and everything will set into place.

[Walter produced the video above for live television.]