I’m a sports guy. I write about sports, I think about sports and my life revolves around sports. In fact, one of the reasons I chose to come to Fordham University is that we are so close to Yankee Stadium. Even as I write this, I am listening to a “Talkin’ Baseball” podcast about the CY Young award candidates for this upcoming baseball season, an episode I helped research for my job at Jomboy Media, a sports media company.
Sports are important to me, but I write about them every week, so when given the open-ended prompt to write about “something important to you,” I was stumped. Sitting on the couch just before my 22nd birthday on March 18, I’m left thinking about the completely different places I have been on my birthday over these last five years.
This year, I’ll be in the Bronx, unfortunately taking a midterm. In 2023, I was in the Azores with my family; in 2022, I was living in California. In 2021, I was in Guatemala, and in 2020 I was home with the world crumbling around me because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I credit being in these different places to one decision: leaving college in the fall of 2020.
If it weren’t for leaving school, I wouldn’t have a dog, a matching tattoo with a girl in Guatemala or driven back and forth across the country. So here’s my advice for anyone considering taking time off from school: go for it. It is the best decision you can make, and you will learn more than anything you can ever be taught in school. The benefits of taking a year off from school will outweigh the risks.
That being said, don’t take a gap year and just sit on your hands; that won’t help with anything. Come up with ideas — it doesn’t have to be a set plan and can change along the way. That’s the beauty of it: mine changed multiple times. Find new opportunities to develop life skills. My old high school had the saying “Pro vita non-pro schola,” which means “For life, not for school.” It’s definitely a cheesy saying, but it does have a lot of truth to it and a way of thinking that not everyone has these days.
Doing things out of the ordinary is scary at first. When I came home from school, I thought to myself, “What am I doing?” That’s when I decided to take advantage of this time and do things that I had always wanted to do but never took the chance.
First up for me: get a dog. Growing up, my family didn’t have a dog, but with the time and money saved, my family decided it was finally time to get one. We got the cutest Goldendoodle and named her Gio, after a former Yankees third baseman. Gio has enriched our lives and brought us closer together. Having the responsibility of taking care of and training a dog helped me grow in a way that can’t be taught in school.
Next up: find something to do between the end of the NFL season and the start of the MLB season. I found a volunteer opportunity in Guatemala, building houses for those living in poverty. I spent over a month there, working during the week and exploring on the weekends. I made crazy, yet fun, decisions like getting a matching tattoo with a girl and spending a night on a volcano. Guatemala opened my eyes to the world around me.
Lastly: decide what to do for the rest of my time out from school. Originally, I wanted to backpack in South America for a few months, but I scratched that idea, thinking I might get stuck because of COVID-19 protocols. Instead, I moved to California with one of my closest friends, Max. Driving out west with a good friend and no responsibilities was one of the most fulfilling adventures ever. My time on this journey was incredible, making friends and memories that I will never forget.
It’s fun to go a different route than others do. It not only helps you grow as a person but gives you stories to tell for days. I have often been described as an onion because my experiences give me so many layers.
Not everything always has to be planned, in fact, being spontaneous is just as fun. It obviously may not be for everybody, but don’t knock it until you try it.
Embracing unconventional paths can lead to personal growth and memorable experiences. My suggestion: take the road less traveled and branch out. It’s something a person won’t regret and can be one of the most fulfilling parts of life to look back on.
Noah Hoffman, FCRH ’25 is a journalism and communications major with a minor in marketing from Richmond, Mass.
