My first year at UC San Diego was a difficult one for me; there were many phone calls with my family and many trips home. I felt intimidated by all the big lecture halls and new material, but most of all, I felt alone. It took me a really long time to really find my stride here, even after having made friends with my suitemates and some of the other Atlantis Hall residents. It wasn’t until Spring Quarter 2019, when I joined The UCSD Guardian on a friend’s recommendation, that I truly began to feel at home at UCSD. Looking back at lonely freshman me, I never imagined that The Guardian would lead to my proselytization to the BTS ARMY, nor that it would become such an integral part of my college experience.

In my time at The Guardian, I’ve been introduced to many extraordinary people who have all helped me grow in more ways than I can name. Some people I’d known before things got shut down in March of 2020: a time in which the paper was a lifeline for me, keeping me from rotting away sullenly in a dark corner of my bedroom as the world crumbled outside. I didn’t meet many of the people I’ve grown to consider some of my best friends until this past year, when things began to settle down and we were able to meet in person again. I’ll always be thankful for me and Troy’s newsroom shenanigans in between classes in the office, as well as the many late nights hanging out with A&E talking about Minecraft clutch-ups and the unbelievable difficulty of our crosswords.

My time at The UCSD Guardian has made me a much better writer, but more importantly, it’s connected me to some of the most important people in my college life. Thanks to Hemmy Chun and Deyshna Pai for believing in me enough to pass down the mantle of A&E Editor to me; thanks to Jahfreen Alam, Daisy Scott, and Chloe Esser for bringing my scrawny little freshman self onto the A&E team all those years ago; thank you to my partner, Sarah Delima, whom I never would’ve met if it wasn’t for The Guardian, for being my personal hypeman and listening to my many, many rants; and thank you to the amazing Arts & Entertainment section for motivating me to do my best. I will truly miss my time at A&E, but I leave it in the capable hands of Hector Arrieta, whom I know will only continue to build it up.

Photo courtesy of Hemmy Chun.