But at its core, an announcement is warranted when the status of something has changed. Personal announcements then serve as a means to keep your circle in the loop. They are a self-serving practice to declare ideas, events, and truths about yourself, publicly.

So I want to do that.

I’ve listened to Billy Joel on and off my entire life, thanks to my dad, but I had never come across this song until a friend had shared it on an Instagram story back in the fall. It’s the only song I can recall ever crying during the first listen. It so effortlessly encapsulated the space I was in — and am still in. It was written for people in my shoes who are so close to … a lot of things.

Throughout the next two years, I managed to keep a useless notecard through various moves and room purges. It eventually made a home in my wallet when I found that I would be studying in London for the fall of my junior year. Maybe this could be my opportunity, I thought.

When it comes to breaking the box office lists, it’s the super-hero-fantasy-sagas of our day that have the largest payoffs for theaters and studios, not the indies or star-studded rom-coms. Franchises like Star Wars and Marvel Avengers have the ability to create cult audiences and dazzle the senses through special effects and sound design–the very things theaters enhance–convincing audiences to see films in theaters instead of waiting for a later release.

After taking some advice from professors and friends about the ~preciousness~ of Senior Spring, I was reminded that this is the time of the season to make choices that personally benefit me. Whether that be taking things out of my schedule that I’m not fully invested in or making an effort to pay attention to my passions, I’ve been taking the time to think about my time. The result? I walked into a jazz dance audition cold.