In the End: A Prospective and Reflective Poem about Coming to Emory

By: Shanthi Cambala – Behavioral Sciences & Health Education

Dear Reader,

Thanks for clicking on my article! Whether you’ve committed to Rollins or are still thinking about what’s best for your future career, I’d like to share with you my journey in coming to Rollins. If you’re interested in just readying the poem, skip to the bottom of the page. If you’re interested in learning ab it more about me and how I felt when I was deciding to pursue graduate school, keep reading!

Choosing to go to graduate school is no small decision. It’s a choice that can change career trajectories, and introduce us to people who could one day be a part of pivotal moments in our careers or our life. However, as a second-year in my last semester, I look back, and I realize how much attending Rollins has given me, and I hope this poem I wrote below will help show you how I feel about in reflecting on my time at Rollins.

At the start of my senior year of college, I had full intentions of working after graduation. However, when I started to think about jobs I was interested in, I soon discovered that in any future career, I wanted to work within the realm of public health. After some more thought, I realized that pursuing a Masters in Public Health was the best option for me. From there, things started moving pretty quickly, trying to put together personal statements, finding recommenders, and sending in all my applications. Things slowed down while waiting for my responses but quickly picked back up when trying to make a decision.

In eventually choosing to attend Rollins, it started to hit me what my decisions would mean. It would mean that I would be starting a life in a new city that I had never visited before Visit Emory. It would mean that I’d be moving away from my friends and family, with no one nearby. It would mean that I’m committing myself to work harder and be effortful and intentional in my career choice. All in all, it would mean that I would be embarking on a new adventure that I didn’t anticipate, and I wasn’t sure what would be in store for me down the line.

The poem, In the End, is a two-voice poem. For those of you not familiar with two-voice poems, though each column can be read individually, they can also be read by moving back and forth between the columns, with each voice representing two parallel (but different) trains of thoughts. Some lines will be the same in both columns, but most will differ. Hopefully, as you move will help to show how my outlook on attending graduate school has changed.

Best wishes to you!

Sincerely,

Shanthi

In the End

Me, in the Spring of 2018                                                         Me, in the Spring of 2020

Finally! I’ve submitted                                                             Finally! I’ve submitted

my intent to enroll.                                                                    my job applications.

Now, I sit quietly                                                                         Now, I sit quietly,

and look ahead,                                                                           and look back,

wondering about                                                                         reflecting upon

my time at Rollins.                                                                      my time at Rollins.

I’m a little stressed                                                                      I’m so relieved

that my original plan didn’t work out.                                 that my original plan didn’t work out.

I think that                                                                                     I realized that

grad school                                                                                     grad school

is                                                                                                         was

the best option for me.                                                                the best option for me.

From meeting new people at Visit Emory                             From meeting new people at Visit Emory

who could become                                                                        who would become

good friends, and                                                                          wonderful friends, and

learning about                                                                                learning from

talented, inspiring professors,                                                  talented, inspiring professors,

there’s a lot at Rollins that will                                                 there was so much at Rollins that helped to

push me forward in my public health career                       push me forward in my public health career.

I’m sure I’ll be busy,                                                                      It has definitely been hectic

and I’m overwhelmed                                                                  but I’m glad

that I’ll be taking a leap of faith                                               that I took a chance

to move to Atlanta.                                                                       to move to Atlanta.

There’s so much opportunity                                                    There’s so much I’ve gained

and I hope                                                                                       And I know

everything will                                                                              everything did

work out in the end.                                                                    work out in the end.