Following a dream
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ISSUE: 11/29/07 > Opinions > Following a dream
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Editor Courtney Drake is a junior Journalism major. |
I’ve always looked forward to the beginning of November for two reasons: first, my birthday, and second, the Country Music Association Awards. From the beginning of the red carpet preshow until the last credit rolled, I centered my night on the show, the music and the thrill of finding out which artists would win the awards.
You see, I love country music.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in the center of all that excitement. To watch the musicians arrive in their limos and walk the red carpet, to sit in the company of the best country music artists, young and old, would be a dream come true.
This year, I once again positioned myself in front of a TV screen to watch the CMA’s, but it wasn’t just any screen; I was in the pressroom backstage at the Sommet Center watching the awards on several flat screen TVs set up around the room, while paying attention to George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Jamie Foxx, Brad Paisley and others as they gave press conferences.
I was given this honor after volunteering for the CMA magazine, CMA Close Up, over the summer and covering the four frantic and energetic days of the 2007 CMA Music Festival. I worked with three other student journalists, and ultimately was chosen as the recipient of the CMA Close Up Award of Merit. It was one of the best nights of my life to say the least. What I had always wanted to do was actually happening.
I had butterflies in my stomach for most of the day, not because I was going to see some of my favorite singers that night, but because it was what I had always wanted to do. I was like a sponge, soaking in everything I could about the night, from the artists lingering in the hallways to the questions asked at the press conferences. I was wearing the same badge as reporters from The Tennessean, USA Today, AP, CMT and GAC and more. Seeing the artists I normally only see on a 13-inch TV screen up-close was just icing on the cake.
As the night wound down, I couldn’t help but think how many amazing opportunities I have had at Belmont. As a senior in high school, I juggled the idea of going to a university in my home state of Michigan for obvious reasons or taking that leap of faith and following my heart. Having the opportunity to attend the CMAs as part of the media staff validated my decision.
As cheesy as Belmont’s logo “From here to anywhere” may be, I think it does reflect the doors that open if you really pursue your goals. I moved to Nashville with the hope that I would one day become a music journalist, and now in my junior year, I’m so happy to say my hard work and jump into the deep end has set me on the path to a realization of that dream.
It definitely hasn’t been easy; there have been plenty of times when I didn’t want to write that story or call that source for an interview, but I’m certainly glad I did. I’m restless to see what other opportunities await me in the future.
