Change happens. It comes in disrupting waves, and you absolutely have the power to embrace it.
I’ll never forget one of the largest uproots of my life: I was 18, headed for college 300 miles away from home, from small-town mountain living to front range city slicking.
#TBT. This column inspired my theme for my editorial career and established a tone for the rest of my life.
No matter what, I’ll find a way to adjust.
Altitude Adjustment
Originally posted in the August 2015 edition of the CU Denver Advocate.
As the beginning of a new semester rolls around, I am reminded of a lurking and over-powering and recurring theme of life that quite possibly has become my personal mantra, despite my best efforts to avoid cliché: great ones adapt.
I came to CU Denver from Gunnison, Colorado and experienced the typical culture shock as new numbers hurtled at me in every direction; my city size went from 5,000 to 2.9 million, my graduating class size increased from 72 to 10,000, and the elevation even dropped from 7,703 to 5,280.
Suddenly there were opportunities open to me that could never be a product of a small town; open to me were classes offered on subjects actually relevant to adulthood, things to do on the weekend besides getting kicked out of Walmart, and more than five restaurant options.
It was, yet again, another classic cliche: a red-headed, blue-and-wide-eyed girl staring into the city lights with no idea what to offer. You get it. It’s taken me a couple of years to get the hang of it all, but I’m getting there.
Eventually I found my way to our school newspaper as a copy editor. Last spring I decided to once again push for change, and applied for the Managing Editor position here at the Advocate. When I got the job, I was hurled into it; I went from grammar officer to boss lady in a matter of a week—most of the learning took place during the heat of production nights. I was juggling the new promotion, a second data entry job, and a full 18 credit hours of school. It was hardly possible.
And now, here we are in the beginning stages of something new and fresh and dazzling—the new semester—with a readiness for more of that relentless change. For me, I’m in the process of convincing myself that I don’t have to kill myself with busyness in the school year to feel fulfilled.
This year, I, along with my staff, am pouring everything into the Advocate. It will be a challenge, but one I’m opening my heart to. Welcome to another fulfilling adjustment.
I dealt with altitude adjustments every summer too cuz I stayed in Colorado with my grandparents!!!
There you go! That is a huge one. Thanks for reading, and I hope you had a blast staying with them. 🙂
Learning to adjust with everything is so crucial too xoxo
Exactly! I couldn’t agree more. xx
Wow you did experience quite an adjustment. I can relate to growing up in a small town and relocating. I think living through and adjustment like that is great life experience!
It was a culture shock for sure! And agreed! I’m very thankful for the experiences I’ve been through and how they’ve shaped my attitude today. Thank you very much for reading.
Loved this post ! It’s life changing to go away for college and an awesome opportunity! Especially for someone like you from such a small town! That must have been a huge adjustment! I’m actually going to Denver for the first time in two weeks. My first time ever in Colorado! I also work for a magazine myself called “modern luxury.” We have an Aspen book for Colorado! So I definitely know what it’s like to work in the publishing field. Hope it all goes well for you !
Oooh, how awesome! Denver is SO fun, and if you have time to spend, there are so many things to do (not to plug another post but I wrote one about things to do in Denver if you want to check it out!). I hope you loooove Colorado. And I’ve heard of Modern Luxury! I actually currently live about 40 minutes from Aspen currently, and have pitched to your magazine for my PR job. What a small world! 🙂
Thank you so much for reading and sharing!!
Perfect ! I’m going to actually save it and take a look later ! I’m just going for the weekend but looking forward to it! I’m debating if Colorado will be my new home within the next year or so. Definitely looks beautiful ! And that’s so awesome about ML! Super small world! 😊
Awesome! I hope you enjoy your trip and are convinced to move here, because like you said, it’s absolutely beautiful! 🙂
Thanks girl! Can you link me with your Denver post ? I couldn’t find it. Thank youuuu!
Of course!
Here it is: https://sunshinewithsavannah.com/2019/02/18/denver-for-a-day/
Let me know if you have any questions or anything and I’ll do my best to answer/look into it. 🙂
Thank you!! I honestly found this super helpful. I even shared with a friend.
I had union station on my list because I was thinking of heading to boulder to see the mountains if I dont rent a car. I was going to check out this place “Appaloosa’ to try bison. Thoughts?
Thank you for this great post! It is so well written! I can see why you work for The Advocate. Change can be scary, but in the end, it is unavoidable. Some of the most resounding chapters of my life have been the result major upheavals. Thank you for sharing your experience. Looking forward to your future posts.
Roger
Thank you for your kind words!
Sadly, the Advocate (later called the Sentry) was my college newspaper, so I’ve had to move on since graduating. I loved being the Editor in Chief though, which is why you’ll see me recycle my editorial content from time to time. 🙂
And I agree. Change, in all its forms, will happen no matter what. And while we might prefer happy versions, some of the most rewarding experiences come after sad, difficult, or trying times.
Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts!
That’s great! That’s one thing I am nervous about going away to college is adjusting. Great post!
Though a little scary, the adjustment to college life was definitely the best part. You got this! 🙂 And thanks for reading!
I’ve never lived through an adjustment like this to ANY degree. I didn’t go to University so I didn’t even have that experience and I definitely feel like my life, my own personal growth and development suffered from it.
Jenny
http;//www.jennyinneverland.com
Is there any chance that you would like to “go back” to uni in the future? It’s not necessarily an end-all solution, but sometimes it does help to ignite other life moves. And I totally get what you’re saying, especially in terms of socialization. Sometimes I think that even though I went, I didn’t do enough to put myself out there/make enough connections, etc after that first year. I hope that you are able to find opportunities now where you feel fulfilled and challenged. Wishing you the best!!
I couldn’t agree more with you, perspective is key especially when changes are ahead of us which tend to be scary. well written, thanks for sharing!
Well said! It’s important to keep your head in the game and see the big picture. Thank you so much for reading!