What I Learned in Oklahoma: Signing Off

Brandon King is Oklahoma Today’s spring intern. Read his previous “What I Learned in Oklahoma” entries here:

The Date Night Jar

Distantly Social

More Than Exotic

The Essentials

Too Stubborn To Fail

Festival Season

This Ain’t Tatooine

Spring intern Brandon King

Truth be told, I’ve written this blog post a multitude of times before settling on this version.

Earth seems to still be in orbit, the months grow hotter by the day, and I’m flooded by more graduation emails than I know how to deal with. This could only be the sign at the end of the road telling me to turn off in the next week or so. As I white-knuckle grip the metaphorical steering wheel, I can’t help but feel appreciative of the time I’ve had here at Oklahoma Today. Although there is no perfect scenario for a final college semester and internship, I don't think anyone expected this. At least no one can say my time here was uneventful.

This is my final What I Learned in Oklahoma blog for my spring internship with the best magazine in the state. While contemplating all the lessons of this semester, I compiled a short list of the teachings I received during one of the wildest times of my life.

1. You’re never too settled in one area to continue exploring the world around you. When you think you’ve seen everything, keep looking. I promise you’ll be surprised.
2. Ask for directions before you make a pot of coffee at the Oklahoma Today offices. I would, once again, like to apologize to everyone—especially Nathan's shirt—for the horrendous mess I made.
3. Oklahomans are as diverse as the days are long. The number of inspiring, harrowing, and outright fantastical stories I’ve come across during my research destroyed any expectations I had before starting this journey.
4. Be sure to ask Oklahoma tourism employees—especially Greg Elwell—about good recipes and great local places to eat. These Okie cuisine connoisseurs are simply remarkable in their recommendations and never seem to disappoint. When in doubt, always go local.
5. Every Oklahoman has a story to tell and it’s up to us to sit and listen. You never know where the road may take you, but you take it anyway and see where you land. That’s the beauty of this state.

Before I leave my intern duties behind, I’d like to take a moment to tell all the people at Oklahoma Today—Nathan, Karlie, Greg, Kashea, Megan, Lori, Colleen, Camille, and Bridgette—that I’m forever grateful I was here with you. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my college career than to be working alongside this group.

While this ends my intern blogging, I’ll still be behind the scenes for another week or so working on the next issue. And I promise it won’t be the last time you see my name in the magazine. I plan to keep writing and finding stories to highlight just how incredible this state can be. I’m proud to add my name to Oklahoma Today’s storied history.

Written By

Brandon King