This past year has been the best year of my life and I feel like that’s a bit of a cliché, but it has truly been an exciting 365 days. In addition to graduating from college with my second degree and landing an incredible job in sports + entertainment, I was able to experience a huge shift within myself. My personal growth and career growth this past year has been immense and I feel proud of everything that I have been able to accomplish. Here are just a few highlights from the past year:
January
Began the new year in the Hollywood Hills and continued to work on set. Visited Into Action, a celebration of cultural resistance and community power.
February
Took a trip to Las Vegas, saw a free Travis Scott concert in DTLA, and sat courtside at the NBA All-Star Game.
March
Finessed free two-day tickets to Air + Style and took my third annual trip to Arizona for Spring Training.
April
Flew to San Francisco for opening weekend against the Dodgers and saw Andrew McCutchen hit a 3-run walkoff HR in extra innings, took the Greyhound to San Diego to watch the Giants play the Padres, attended all three Giants vs. Angels games at Angel Stadium, and experienced a deep loss. Loss is not exactly a highlight, but it was an incredibly important part of my year that helped me grow and cultivate a deeper appreciation for life.
May
Went to the Rae Sremmurd Spotify album release party and took a trip to Hawaii where I went swimming with turtles, drove a moped around the island, hiked up to a waterfall, climbed 1000+ steps to catch a bird’s eye view of the scenery surrounding us, and jumped out of an airplane.
June
Discovered a new place in my hometown, celebrated the life of one of my friends, and went to Van’s Warped Tour in an attempt to live out the dreams of my 7th grade self.
July
Took a bus to Arizona at 11:00pm, arrived at 6:00am the next morning, went to a baseball game at Chase Field, and went back to LA later that evening just to catch a game and write a review of the ballpark. Learned how to get front row tickets to a concert without paying the actual price of a front row ticket.
August
Flew to Chicago and went to Guaranteed Rate Field, Wrigley Field, and two days of Lollapalooza. Flew from Chicago to Denver and watched a Luke Bryan + Sam Hunt concert and visited Coors Field. Worked on set for the last time and quit my job at the startup I had been working for. Started an amazing new job in sports + entertainment.
September
Turned 22 years old, moved into a new apartment, and flew into San Francisco for a day so that I could catch a game at AT&T Park before the baseball regular season ended.
October
Worked my first sporting event with media credentials (LA Kings opening night), visited the pumpkin patch, attended the American Music Awards, went to Emo Nite LA, covered opening night for the LA Lakers, and covered the last game of the MLS season for the LA Galaxy.
November
Worked Camp Flog Gnaw and watched all the acts from backstage, bought my first smart suitcase from Away so that I can travel even more comfortably, read about the life of Michelle Obama, ate some great food at one of my favorite places in Santa Rosa, took a walk in my favorite hometown neighborhood, and saw BROCKHAMPTON for the fourth and fifth time within a year.
December
Visited the LA Zoo Lights, went to see the Nutcracker at the Dolby Theatre, sat courtside at the Golden State Warriors vs. LA Lakers game on Christmas Day, got a new tattoo with the coordinates of AT&T Park, uninentionally matched with my friend, and ended the year in New Orleans.
By The Numbers
Artists seen live: ~70
TV shows worked on: 25
Baseball games attended: 16
Airplanes taken: 16
States visited: 6
New ballparks visited: 4
College degrees earned: 1
Here’s To 2018
I’m extremely thankful for the life that I live and know that it’s primarily due to the amount of hard work I have put into everything that I do. I can’t wait to see where my perseverance gets me in 2019 and all of the new adventures that await me, the new people for me to meet, the new places that I will visit, the new friendships to be created, and my new career goals to be met. Here’s to all the unforgettable memories of 2018 and to an even more exciting future.
Thanks for reading, sticking by my side throughout the past year, and letting me share my experiences with you. I hope you had a great year and I’ll see you in 2019!