I joined The UCSD Guardian in January of my freshman year, when the university was still operating remotely because of the pandemic. Even though those early Arts & Entertainment section meetings were held over Zoom, I felt a sense of community right away. The ridiculous icebreakers, much-needed reality TV recs, and everyone’s shared passion for journalism made distance learning feel a little less distant. 

Working on the paper for the last couple of years has been one of the best parts of my time at UCSD. From getting to have our cute section dinner at BJ’s and meeting my sorority little to attending local film festivals and doing red-carpet reporting in Los Angeles, I can’t imagine my college experience without The Guardian. My favorite A&E article has to be 2023’s Valentine’s Day Rizz-o-Meter, a hilarious quiz everyone worked on together.

I’ll miss all the amazing, creative people I met. I’ll miss seeing everyone’s stories in print. I’ll even miss the Ron Burgundy cutout that haunts the office. UCSD was so big and overwhelming at first, but the paper and the people that worked on it made campus feel like home. Forever grateful for my Guardian fam.