Hello, my name is Alex Wilkerson.
I am a junior who just switched his major (for the third time) to public relations.
I grew up in Prattville, Alabama, a town about an hour from Auburn.
My greatest passion is music. I recently started playing local acoustic shows in my hometown and the Montgomery area.
I have been writing for The Auburn Plainsman for about a year, and this fall I moved from the community page to opinions.
I’m telling you all this because I had an idea to try something different.
I think it’s easy to get caught up in Auburn.
Between classes, social clubs, fraternities, sororities, etc. It can be easy to lose yourself.
I graduated from high school with big dreams, high hopes and a big ego.
Coming to Auburn, many things changed. I grew weary. I grew tired. With every failed Auburn friendship and every failed friend group, I became more and more lost.
I began to second guess myself. I couldn’t decide if life in Auburn or life in general would ever be good. If anything could ever get better.
My first two years at Auburn broke me, and only recently have I begun to heal.
I’ve finally found good friend groups, a major I like, and I’ve finally begun to address my truest passion, music.
When I originally pitched the idea of an ask me column to my editor, I intended to write a weekly column where I essentially just cracked jokes — a column that could feature me.
But as I began to write the first column entry, I realized I had to be true to myself.
As long as I’ve been writing music, my best songs have come from my heart.
And so I decided it was time to get serious.
I may not be the best when it comes to giving advice, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but I know if I can help just one person avoid what I’ve gone through, this whole column will be worth it.
So with that I say, if you have a problem and you don’t know who to turn to, who you can trust and you just need an honest answer, feel free to email me at opinions@theplainsman.com. I will keep you anonymous, and I will try my best to help.
Best of wishes to you in this school year and every year after.
Alex is an opinions columnist and is currently a junior in public relations.
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