Wish Dish | Share Your Story

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After the Dish: Ashleigh Shay

(Written by Ashleigh Shay)

When I first wrote On The Sidelines I was nervous. Bryan contacted me more or less a day after I published my first post on my blog.

That was the first time I was posting personal writing on a public platform. Then he asked me to do the same on his website. And this time it was a story about me, not just things that were going on around me.

Once I sat down to write the words flowed out of me so fast I knew I must have been all over the place. Although after I read it over it made as much sense on the screen as it did in my head.

That was a gratifying and terrifying thought.

It meant I was competent and people we’re actually going to read a story about me. That made me vulnerable, something I don’t like being. But I mustered up all the courage that I could and I hit “submit.”

I linked the story to my blog and from then it was like. Looking back at some statistics, 17 people read the story on my blog. However I’m unsure how many people read it on The Wish Dish. Either way, it made me feel confident about my writing.

I hope that freshmen in college or even just those who want to work in the world of sports have benefitted from my post. I was a regular freshman whose goal was to get on the field of the game. Luck came my way and here I am two years later and I have had field access for every home game.

I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason and you have to work for what you want. I was at the right place at the right time to get me started. But I have worked my butt off since then to make a statement.

My job is early mornings, long days and late hours. I love every since second of it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made it past the second football game last season.

You know those 12 o’clock kick-offs? While the rest of you are getting up at 8 am I’m already at the football stadium. It’s not an easy life but it’s one that I’ve chosen. I hope what I wrote last spring has inspired others to do the same.

It doesn’t have to do with sports and it doesn’t have to be in college. It can be anything and anytime. The purpose of me sharing my story was to accomplish two things.

The first one was to put myself out there. To be come comfortable with others reading something very personal. It was like publishing part of myself.

The second thing was to show people that if you are determined, you want something, and work hard for it, that you will get it. I had no idea how I was going to obtain what I wanted in the beginning. But I gave up weekends and nights out in order to get it. I love what I do. I hope others will one day too.

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After the Dish: Ashleigh Shay

(Written by Ashleigh Shay)

That was a gratifying and terrifying thought.

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