A newsworthy four years  

 “Why are you so involved in the newspaper if you’re a pre-med physiology and neurobiology major?” That’s probably the most popular question I’ve gotten throughout these past four years. And I never really had a clear answer for that. I guess I just thought newswriting would be a cool way to get my mind off all the research papers and lab reports I’d have to do for my science classes.  

So on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, I joined my first Daily Campus meeting, expecting this to be one of multiple student organizations I’d become a member of. I thought I’d occasionally write articles during the slower weeks of the semester. What I didn’t realize then was that I’d be at the DC every Sunday night for all four years.  

I could talk all day about how much I’ve grown as a writer and editor, how much change I’ve seen at the DC, how many cool interviews I’ve done and how many mistakes I’ve made and learned from. To give a brief overview, I entered freshman year during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of my very first articles was on the university’s COVID-19 case numbers. At that point, I still didn’t know what “AP style” was. The more I got to write, the more I realized that I loved newswriting. I liked this straight and to the point style of writing, and I’m thankful to my editors that taught me how to cut filler words and fluff. And my favorite thing about it was that I never had to write a conclusion. Before I knew it, my one weekly article assignment turned into two to three articles each week.  

For my entire first year, the news section remained a small group of people. With just three of us as staff writers, meetings went by quickly and most weeks were light. By my sophomore year, the section expanded, and more writers came along. By the end of the year, I learned that I had written 80-something articles, the highest number for the section. Around the same time, I also found out I would move up to associate news editor for the following year, a role with more responsibilities and even more learning. While I wouldn’t be able to write as much as I used to because of all the editing, I enjoyed working with so many new writers and seeing each of them grow, filling the paper with their excellent reporting and writing. Then, exactly a year later, I would lead the section again as the news editor.  

As an editor for the past two years, I also got to know more people across the different sections. Not just the ones that write, but also photographers, artists and production. I learned that the paper is a product of so many people’s work, and it’s remarkable to see that a group of students, each doing their own part, has put out a paper every single day of the academic year.  

As I write my last piece as news editor, I think about how much has changed, for me and for the DC since four Augusts ago. What was once a section of three news staff has now doubled in size. Thank you to the lovely staff I’ve gotten to know (Jenna, Liliana, Patrick, Pierce, Gianni, Sam, Sara, Gabe) and the multiple campus correspondents for reporting on all the breaking news, the complicated investigatives, the university meetings, university updates, elections, politics and so much more. I appreciate all your efforts that filled every day’s front page with a story.  

As my time here ends, I’ll be applying to medical school and will probably never be able to write so much news again. However, I have no doubt that the writing skills and connections I’ve gained at the DC will stay with me forever. Thank you to everyone who has made these four years so memorable, and I look forward to reading what happens next.