![]() I have a roof over my head, my bills are paid, and my cat is well-fed and happy. I’m doing work that I love in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusions (DEI) at another institution while also making time to perform when I can. Once again I felt like I was not living up to my Princeton degree for majoring in a less lucrative area of study and working in a field different than my major, a sentiment I’ve heard from other Princeton alumni.īut what I have learned is that even if my life isn’t flashy, it isn’t without fulfillment. Then after graduating, I felt like I wasn’t a “good” music major for not creating music or working in a music-related field. ![]() Though my mama always supported my passions, regardless of what they were, and saw Princeton as a blessing, it was only after coming to Princeton that the pressure of success made me question my decision to major in Music. I have to accept that comparing myself to other alumni on social media is a never-ending battle that does not really define my success.Ĭoming from a tiny town in Arkansas, Princeton was a surprise for me. We choose what we want to share with the world, regardless whether it’s positive or negative. Hundreds of likes and comments support the image of ourselves that we present to the world. Every day we see seemingly everyone around us traveling to some new destination or celebrating some new life milestone we have yet to hit. While I am a content creator, I realized that a lot of my feelings of inadequacy are sourced from the very thing I love - social media. As a fellow FLI graduate and Questbridge scholar, the experiences he detailed resonated with me beyond words, and got me thinking about what success means to me - as well as the undue pressure we place on ourselves so soon after completing one of the most challenging educational experiences in the country. If they were able to accomplish all of this soon after leaving Princeton, what are we doing wrong?Įarlier this year, Nicholas Tippenhauer, Assistant Dean for Studies in Rockefeller College, published an article on dealing with the pressures of being a student while worrying about success during and after Princeton. Many of our classmates are making obscene amounts of money right out of undergrad, marrying their Princeton sweethearts, becoming social media stars, being named Forbes 30 under 30 recipients, and so much more. In talking to some of my fellow Princeton grads, the feeling that we are not living up to our Princeton degrees or that we are somehow behind in life seems to be a commonly held anxiety. Princeton’s privilege will always be a part of our lives, but the many ways in which we choose to go forth after this experience all deserve the same validation and appreciation, regardless of how they differ from the ‘ideal’ of an Ivy League graduate. Having a Princeton degree doesn't change this reality. There never was - or is - a singular right way to live one’s life. The truth is meaning can be found in all forms of life. And while I believe this to be true, I often wonder whether this approach is really making the most of my life after the Princeton experience. Lambert replied by saying “it was a total honor” and called the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist “a goddess.I discovered that my answer to what a meaningful life should be is this: As long as I have a roof over my head and my bills are paid, with a little fun money here and there, I can find happiness anywhere. Lauper and Lambert closed the show with a duet of “I Got You Babe.” She was also “shocked and over the moon” when rock legend Cyndi Lauper surprised her with a performance of “If I Could Turn Back Time” because Lauper had told her she was out of town. On Twitter, the 72-year-old singer said she was having trouble verbalizing how Lambert’s soulful performance made her feel because her senses were “overwhelmed” and she could only feel with her heart. The pop diva was moved to tears by Adam Lambert’s rendition of her hit song “Believe” at the ceremony, which paid tribute to Cher and her fellow honorees, country superstar Reba McEntire, jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, composer Philip Glass and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the “Hamilton” team. Cher was still feeling the love Thursday morning after Wednesday’s CBS broadcast of the 41st Kennedy Center Honors ceremony that took place earlier this month.
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