Once I became a news writer with The UCSD Guardian, I never thought about quitting.

The amazing thing about being a news writer is that you get the chance to connect with anyone in this community, including faculty who are out of your daily reach. I fully enjoy taking the time to chat with my sources one-on-one. I don’t like to call it an interview because, at the end of the day, I am the one who gets educated or connects emotionally with my source. However, something I can never get over is that I cringe when I hear my own voice when I need to look back on my interviews. 

It’s also through news writing that I learned that I’m a true fan of science. I would have expected that, because I am a chemistry major, I would be intrinsically drawn to covering science. Over time, I realized it could also work the other way. The perks of being a news writer is that you are curiosity-driven and people are within your reach to answer your questions. I am able to explore a wide range of ongoing research on our campus and get in touch with some humble human beings behind scientific research, whose characters just shine all the way out and I can still feel its impact on my pulse at this moment. This is such a beautiful thing I would not often experience if I were not a news writer (at least not during my undergraduate years).  

Still, it is unnerving to wait for my source to enter Zoom, have them not understand my question and spill the word “what,” and receive dozens of edit comments on my article draft. 

Nevertheless, everything sums up to a bittersweet experience that has slowly transformed me into a well-rounded person, more than just being a better writer. It is a growth that would not be made possible without the support from the news team. Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey, and a big shout out to Jacob, Andrew and Troy. 

Congratulations class of 2021, cheers to all the memories and whatever the future sees fit for us. 

*Signing off with BGM: Wings by Birdy*

Photo courtesy of ZY Lin