Twenty-two years in the making: A dream come true | Senior Column

Four years at Penn State. All gone in a blink of an eye.

I dreamed of this moment, walking across the stage at the Bryce Jordan Center, getting my degree and being called a “Penn State Alumnus”. 22 years of hard work finally led to this moment.

You could ask people with whom I grew up with what my defining personality trait is, and they all would answer the same: Penn State. I lived being a Nittany Lion fan.

Apparel. Antiques. Posters. Everything blue and white.

I would even try to find ways to watch the games from my home in western Pennsylvania without access to the Big Ten Network on my local cable box.

The day I got that acceptance letter right around my birthday in 2019, was the greatest feeling I ever had. I achieved the thing I have wanted to do since I first went to school: get into Penn State.

As soon as that letter came in, I immediately accepted it. I later found out I got an annual $14,000 scholarship from Robert Morris just days after I accepted Penn State, but stood my ground (sorry Dad).

It was a magical time for me to step onto a campus I’d desperately dreamed of attending. Getting into my dorm room in Hartranft Hall made me feel excited about what lay ahead for me.

I had my plan to enjoy my time in Happy Valley, step by step. It was perfect, but in life, you get wrenches thrown into your plans.

Online classes. Lack of a football season to attend to (the main selling point for me attending). One of the worst breakups you’ve dealt with at that time.

I felt alone; alone on a big campus, trapped inside a double dorm room with no one else inside but myself. I spiraled off the deep end, feeling that this dream of mine was not all sunshine and rainbows, but rather immense pain and suffering, asking myself, “Is this dream really worth it?”

Fortunately, I had the perfect opportunity in front of me: Penn State CommRadio. That radio station, to whom I have given four years of my college life, was my saving grace.

They helped me manage my mind and get me back on track to fulfilling my dreams. All of the work I did helped me keep my mind active and gave me some of my closest friends over these past four years.

After that tough freshman year, I started to perk up more and decided to strive for more than what I wanted: calling Penn State football games.

Originally I was denied my freshman year of getting on the schedule for sophomore year. Feeling heartbroken again, I decided to reach out for advice on what to fix. I gladly got that help and improved over the years.

Heading into junior year, I made it on the football schedule. Box No. 2 checked off the bucket list.

Now, what game to choose? At the time, I had my shot to try and snag what I believed to be the Whiteout Game, another dream of mine. I picked Ohio State as my one game, only to find out that it was Minnesota that got the “avalanche of sound” (thanks FOX).

I had one last chance to grab the Whiteout Game, and I chose not to make the same mistake as last year, by choosing Iowa over Michigan. That announcement to make Iowa the Whiteout Game confirmed to me that I had once again stepped closer to achieving all I could have dreamt of.

Stepping into that booth, seeing all of the pregame traditions and hearing the crowd roar with each chant brought tears to my eyes right before what I believed to be the biggest call of my life. As Gabe Nwosu kicked off the game, I crossed another item off my list.

Over the years, I had a handful of experiences that I never knew I wanted until it happened:

• The Rose Bowl

• Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

• Travels to Ohio State for Penn State Football and Basketball

All things checked off my list.

Now, as I sit here, weeks away from my final moments here in State College, I can look back and be pleased with all the fun memories I have made over my four years here.

All the trips around the country, the nights downtown with my friends and the Friday nights on the sidelines of football stadiums around central Pennsylvania were worth every penny. I would never trade any experience in the world for the one I got here at Penn State.

I sometimes look back at nine-year-old me, who went to his first ever Penn State Football game in 2011 against Youngstown State (my dad’s alma mater), and I imagine having a conversation with him and telling the experiences and stories to him. I can imagine the absolute joy he’d have hearing all of my travels. He’d freak out, knowing that the person he is looking back at lived up to all his wildest dreams.

All of the hard work finally paid off for this moment: becoming a part of the largest alumni network in the entire world. I am proud to be a Nittany Lion and to stay close to the area for work.

The moral of the story: if you have a dream, chase it, because a dream won’t chase you back.

Finally, to the place I have called home for the past 4 years of my life: thank you for everything.

Jonathan Draeger is a fourth-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email jrd6052@psu.edu or jonathan.r.draeger43@gmail.com.