Letter from the Interim Finance Manager and soon-to-not-be Ad/PR manager

What’s up reader,

Life has been random but fruitful.

I had no freaking clue what The Wake was when I applied to be its Advertising and Public Rela- tions Manager. Also, I had never done anything AD, PR, or writing-related either. I discovered the application on the 2026 UMN community snap story. I thought, “Hey this looks cool, and I think I want to be a marketing major”, so I applied.

Four switched majors and a college transfer later, I’m happy I took that leap of ignorance. Spoiler alert: I did not want to do marketing. At the time I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Spoiler, spoil- er alert: I don’t know now either. But, I know more than I did before.

For example, I know writing is challenging. I’ve always had a format to follow when writing for school. When I wrote my first article for The Wake, I had to communicate what I wanted to com- municate, without a thesis statement that was being graded. It forced me to make somewhat of a creative process and be decisive about what I want to say. That was tough but cool.

Also, I learned that fear of judgment is surmountable. When I wrote that first article, I fearfully realized “Damn. other human beings are going to read this”. When you create something on your own, you have a personal attachment to that creation. It’s hard not to worry about the judgment others will have. Then I realized that those fears are insignificant. It flat-out does not matter. That realization is liberating.

Most importantly, I got to be around an artistic, diverse group of individuals. I started the se- mester at Carlson and The Wake couldn’t have been more different. Business is conforming and bland. At The Wake, people are expressive and passionate. The Wake was my weekly exposure to uniqueness. This small exposure was extremely refreshing.

It’s okay to have no freaking clue what you’re doing or what you want to do. At least try anything. Even if it’s a leap of ignorance, there is always an insight you can gain. Insight about yourself and the world you live in.

Thanks and keep it real,

Andrew Palik