End of Semester Review

This semester, similarly to many others, presented a mix of challenges, successes, setbacks, and growth. Looking back now, I can confidently say that Spring 2026 forced me to become significantly more intentional with my time, my health, and the direction I want my life to move in.

Coming off Fall 2025, where I earned Dean’s List honors for the first time at Wabash College, I knew the academic standard I wanted to maintain moving forward. For those unfamiliar with Wabash, it is a small, all-male liberal arts college of roughly 900 students with a culture built around rigor, accountability, and high expectations. It is not an environment where you can coast. The workload, discussions, and social expectations all demand consistency and discipline.

This previous semester started rough for me. Honestly, there is no better way to put it. I was mentally drained, physically exhausted, and beginning to realize that several parts of my life were no longer sustainable in the way I had been approaching them. Eventually, I had to make some difficult but necessary decisions to regain control over my routines and overall wellbeing. Looking back, those decisions ended up being some of the most important choices I made all year.

For the last three years, I competed on the varsity swim team at Wabash. Swimming gave me structure, friendships, and countless opportunities, but over time it also became a major source of stress and internal conflict. I found myself continuing with the sport more out of obligation than genuine passion, and mentally that started to wear me down. After our conference championships, I made the difficult decision to step away from collegiate swimming.

That decision was not simple, and I am still processing parts of it. During the season, there were moments where I withdrew from meets, altered my daily schedule to preserve energy, and socially distanced myself from teammates while trying to figure things out internally. I am not proud of every way I handled that period, especially regarding relationships that may have suffered because of it, but growth also comes from recognizing where you could have communicated or handled things better.

At the same time, I actively sought help instead of ignoring what I was dealing with. I pursued counseling, explored medical intervention, and began taking my mental health more seriously. I also leaned heavily into journaling, meditation, and grounding exercises. Those routines became tools that helped me rebuild consistency and perspective during periods where my motivation and emotions felt unstable.

Medication was another adjustment this semester. I initially started on Lexapro, but for me personally, it created more problems than solutions. I felt emotionally muted, low-energy, and disconnected from daily life. On top of that, the nausea and vomiting began impacting both my training quality and my ability to function normally throughout the day. After discussing those concerns with my provider, we made the decision to transition to Cymbalta (Duloxetine). Since then, the dosage has been adjusted once, and the difference has honestly been significant. My energy gradually returned, my engagement with people improved, and those closest to me noticed the change before I even fully recognized it myself. I started feeling like myself again.

Academically, this semester may have been the strongest of my college career.

I took five courses focused primarily on major requirements, covering topics ranging from Social Contract theory and human rights to monetary policy, stagecraft, and young adult literature. Five classes at Wabash is a substantial workload, especially when balancing training, work, and personal obligations. Managing that schedule required discipline and a level of time management that I honestly had not fully developed until now.

One thing that helped tremendously was the structure of my weekly schedule. Most of my classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which created long blocks of uninterrupted time for readings, writing, recovery, and training. Instead of wasting those days, I treated them like dedicated work periods.

I also became much more strategic with how I approached coursework. One of the more useful systems I developed involved using ChatGPT to help organize and prepare for difficult readings before class. I would upload PDFs, use a structured prompt to generate reading outlines and thematic frameworks, and then use that preparation to guide my own annotations and note-taking. Rather than replacing the reading itself, it allowed me to engage with the material more efficiently and identify the key arguments before diving in fully. That preparation made class discussions significantly more productive and allowed me to contribute thoughtful commentary, criticism, and real-world examples during seminars.

That system paid off throughout finals week as well. By the end of the semester, I had organized notes, pre-reading summaries, and discussion material that made studying far more manageable than it had been in previous semesters.

I ultimately finished the semester with a 3.773 GPA, the highest of my academic career so far. More importantly, it reinforced that I am capable of performing at a high level academically while balancing multiple demanding commitments.

Professionally, I also secured an internship with the United States House of Representatives through Congressman Jim Baird’s district office in Danville, Indiana. Alongside continuing work at the behavioral hospital this summer, this internship gives me direct exposure to governmental systems, constituent relations, and public policy. For someone interested in eventually pursuing criminal defense or malpractice law, that experience is extremely valuable.

This semester also sharpened several of my political and economic perspectives. Through coursework discussing monetary systems and the Federal Reserve, I became increasingly interested in how economic policy impacts everyday people differently than large institutions. At the same time, I found myself thinking more critically about local economies and the importance of supporting small businesses, especially in smaller communities like Crawfordsville where local businesses shape much of the town’s identity and culture.

Another opportunity that stood out this semester came through Wabash when I was invited to attend an economic development event featuring Indiana Governor Mike Braun at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis. The event focused on Indiana’s economic future and brought together business leaders, investors, political figures, and alumni from across the state. Walking into that room as a 21-year-old college student was honestly intimidating. Companies like Eli Lilly and Company and Beck’s Hybrids were represented alongside developers and major stakeholders in Indiana’s economy. It was one of the first times I had been directly exposed to that level of professional and political environment.

What made the experience valuable to me was not just hearing policy ideas, but seeing how those conversations actually happen in real time. Braun discussed topics ranging from AI investment and self-sustaining data centers to healthcare costs, infrastructure, and even the possibility of bringing the Chicago Bears organization into northwest Indiana as part of a broader economic revitalization strategy. Whether I agreed with every position or not, it was interesting to hear how state leaders think about growth, investment, and long-term development.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing how much leadership and politics revolve around communication, confidence, and relationship-building. Being in a room full of experienced professionals initially gave me a sense of imposter syndrome, but as the event went on I started to realize that opportunities like that are exactly how young people begin building connections and learning how these systems operate. It reinforced my interest in law, policy, and public service because it made those career paths feel tangible instead of distant ideas.

Outside academics, training became one of the most stabilizing parts of my routine.

I finally found a structure that worked for me. Setting up my Wahoo Kickr in the basement of FIJI turned out to be one of the best decisions I made all semester. It allowed me to train consistently regardless of weather or schedule limitations. Instead of waiting for perfect circumstances, I focused on accumulating quality work whenever time allowed.

At the same time, training demanded structure. Most mornings started around 7:00 or 7:30, and most nights ended around 9:00 or 10:00. There were social events I skipped and nights I stayed in intentionally because I knew recovery and consistency aligned better with the goals I had set for myself. That balance was not always perfect, but it became increasingly clear that meaningful progress usually requires sacrificing short-term comfort or entertainment.

One of the highlights of the semester was completing my first 50k ultramarathon with my fraternity brother Shane. That race reminded me that even under academic pressure, inconsistent sleep, and limited preparation time, I could still compete effectively if I stayed disciplined and mentally engaged. More than the finish time itself, the experience reinforced confidence in my ability to handle discomfort and continue adapting under stress.

Overall, I am proud of this semester, but I also recognize there is still a lot of room for growth.

Next semester brings a new challenge with LSAT preparation becoming a major priority alongside academics, training, and work responsibilities. That process will require another level of discipline and focus, but I am genuinely excited about it because it moves me one step closer toward a career in law.

At the end of the day, this semester taught me that balance is less about perfection and more about intentionality. There were still late nights, social events, and moments to enjoy college life, but there was also structure, accountability, and purpose behind the choices I made.

For me, that has been the biggest lesson of all.

Simply doing hard things consistently.