As I sit down to write this blog from my Washington D.C. hotel room on a trip with the International Agriculture minor program, I find my mind wandering ahead to the future that awaits following graduation, which now is only roughly four and a half weeks away. In just over one month, I will be concluding my time as an undergraduate student at Penn State. This is a reality that I am struggling to come to terms with, yet this experience is one I share with most all of my peers at least to some degree. At the times when I often feel overwhelmed or scared about what comes next, I try to remind myself that the investment I’ve made here at PSU would mean very little if I never left to go and do the work I’ve been prepared to do during my time here. Although it comes with some sadness as I conclude this season of life, I truly am excited for what comes next!

On this trip to D.C., I’ve had the chance to hear from many incredible individuals with highly impactful careers (today we focused on governmental agencies such as the USDA and USAID…tomorrow we will hear from even more speakers from OXFAM. the World Bank, and more). We have had the chance to ask questions and learn more about the inspiring and authentic career journeys of our speakers, which has been tremendously helpful (and has also made me want to work in industry, do a stint of service as a Peace Corps volunteer, and go to graduate school all at the same time!). None of these specific jobs are teaching agricultural science at the secondary level (which is what I actually plan to do immediately following graduation), but they do paint a vision for what could be possible should I choose to leave the classroom one day.

With that said, I have often found my mind wandering to a different set of questions throughout our meetings with these speakers during this trip. Being fully transparent, I would love to know more about the personal lives and family relationships of the speakers we are hearing from. While I recognize that it is not commonly regarded to be the most appropriate thing to ask, I genuinely wonder about the personal lives these people carry outside of the specific work they do. I (somewhat jokingly…but not really if I’m being honest) talked with one of the other students on the trip about looking at the speakers hands to see if they have wedding rings on today. While this feels embarrassing to admit out loud, I believe it points to genuine questions many of us have about how to balance careers and family as we look to the future…perhaps especially because there were not many rings.

Because our program is internationally focused, many of the speakers have lived in multiple countries, completed global research/spent time in academia, and maybe even bounced around to positions in several different governmental agencies. While these career experiences sound hard to beat, I have to wonder at what cost this came to them/their families. While I am willing to work hard and hope to hold a career where I can make a positive difference in the lives of others, I also look forward to one day hopefully getting married and having children. Both of these goals are important to me, but I do find myself feeling an increased sense of worry about my ability to balance both career and family goals as I near the threshold of college graduation.

Having now student taught in the high school environment, I have seen first-hand the importance of a stable home background in a student’s life – especially so for children who have never had a positive and stable male role model. If I am fortunate enough to get to raise children of my own in this life, it is important to me that I am a present and supportive father who supports/parents my children as best I know how. I hold goals of also serving others who are not in my immediate family through a career in agriculture/education, but recognize that balancing these two significant responsibilities will be no easy task. If anyone else has perspective on this topic, I would welcome it! One day I hope to be able to look back on this post and see growth, understanding, and life experience beyond what I can see right now. Regardless of where life takes me, I am grateful to have this opportunity to travel to D.C. and gain some important perspective as I determine what comes next.