I wrote and lived with the mentality: “This is big, and I need to see how this unfolds.” An undying curiosity about the world and life propelled me, as writer and news editor, but it also unveiled an undeniable but depressing truth. 

“Thanks” to social media and AI, we’re becoming complacent. News is now amuse-bouches, minimized for easy consumption. Issues have been reduced to hashtags. A genocide, fed into an algorithm to spit out an ugly AI-generated image. It’s bullshit. And it’s near impossible to find the truth underneath that crap.

There weren’t many things I could do as a news editor at a college newspaper. But in the end, I know that my peers and I spoke about what the students saw. The dedication to the truth will never stop as long as we refuse to give into complacency, to easy consumption. News isn’t just social media, it’s human lives and dignity. Journalists are at the front of that battle; I know that.

Carter, Natalia, I know you two will keep the intrepid news spirit ongoing. Never stop fighting for the truth.

My Guardian dream team – Raymond, Adalia, Alex, Elise, Sonia, Vivian, Tommy, Hana, Carter, Natalia – you guys have been my shining stars and the people who made the hard times worth it. 

Alex, thank you for accepting my offer to pay for dinner at BJ’s and becoming my best friend. Raymond, thank you for the rides to the 626 every break. Elise, thank you for being a gentle voice every time we talk. Sonia, I will treasure all of your stories and your random messages. Adalia and Vivian, you two are going to kick ass next year.

Thank you, UCSD Guardian, for many things. Drop a deuce!