Thank you for trusting me with your stories, your voices, your frustrations, your victories and your truth. Serving as News Editor during my fourth year at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) was one of the greatest honors of my life, and it is difficult to put into words how much this community has shaped me.
When I moved to the United States at 15 years old as an immigrant, I carried uncertainty with me every single day. I was learning a new culture, a new language and trying to understand where I belonged. Like many students at UCR, I knew it meant to work hard while carrying responsibilities that often felt heavier than what people could see.
I am the first person from both sides of my family to have the privilege to attend a university. By the time I arrived at Riverside, I understood that education was not something I could take for granted; it was something I had to fight for.
During my second and third year at UCR, I was involved with Associated Students of UCR while also working both a full-time and a part time job just to afford housing and survive. There were days when exhaustion felt normal. I balanced classes, meetings, deadlines and work schedules that stretched late into the night.
And somehow, despite all the opportunities I experienced afterward, being News Editor became the most meaningful chapter of all.
I had the privilege of working legal internships in Irvine and conducting policy research in both San Diego and Los Angeles, opportunities I once only dreamed of having. Those experiences taught me professionalism and discipline. But no office, no internships and no political environment ever gave me the same sense of purpose that I found inside the newsroom.
The newspaper reminded me why stories matter.
Every interview, every late night edit, every student protest, every city meeting, every cultural event and every conversation I had with UCR students revealed something beautiful about Riverside. UCR is often underestimated by people who do not know it, but those of us who live here understand its uniqueness.
This campus is filled with students who work harder than anyone gives them credit for. Students who commute hours to class. Students supporting families back home. Students navigating immigration struggles, financial hardship, grief, identity and pressure while still showing up every single day with hope.
As News Editor, I saw resilience, I saw brilliance and most importantly, I saw humanity here.
To every UCR student who answered my emails, sat down for an interview, corrected me when I got something wrong, shared a vulnerable experience or simply picked up a copy of the paper, thank you. You made me a better writer, a better listener and a better person.
As an immigrant kid who arrived in this country at 15 unsure of what the future would look like, I never imagined I would one day have the responsibility of helping tell the story of an entire university community. That responsibility changed me forever.
Now that I am moving to Washington D.C. after graduation, I don’t know where my career will take me next. But I know a part of me will always belong to UCR.
