Gemotions

The notification buzzed, a tiny vibration against her desk, but it felt like a seismic shift. Emily, a journalism student, had always considered herself a realist, but the news of the university’s closure felt surreal. She’d been so focused on fitting in, on proving herself, on navigating the social maze of campus life. Now, looking at the blinking cursor on her unfinished news article about the student body’s dwindling resources, she felt a profound sense of loss. She hadn’t truly *used* the opportunities she'd been given. She should have interviewed more professors. She should have volunteered at the campus radio station. The weight of her inaction pressed down on her, heavy and suffocating.