I first came across The Highlander spring quarter of my freshman year. I saw a post that came up on my feed with large letters reading, “We’re hiring!” As a freshman with little to no experience, I applied to any place that would take me. I was extended an interview by the Editor-in-Chief at the time, Senna, and I ended up getting picked to be the next Distribution Manager for the 2025-2026 school year.
I never thought I would be working for a newspaper because to be very honest … I am not the best writer. But I was still able to find my place here by putting out the final product of our hardworking team every Tuesday around campus. Stepping into my last year of college, I knew that I wanted to be more hands-on with the newspaper, which led me to become the Assistant Business Manager.
I want to give a huge shoutout to my partner Allison, for giving me a lot of grace as I knew almost nothing stepping into the role. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that the business team does and I’m super grateful that we had five amazing Ad Reps, Zach, Xochitl, Jeremiah, Xavier and Paris, that helped make this year enjoyable. The Highlander is a very unique place on campus, and I’m very thankful that my freshman year self just so happened to stumble upon it.
As a first-generation college student, I found it really hard to put myself out there as it seemed like everyone knew what they wanted to accomplish in life. I am glad that I was able to find spaces on campus that made me feel involved and a part of something. To any student reading this, I would really encourage you to join different clubs, organizations and groups on campus. Each experience will teach you something new and will expand the network of people you meet during your time at the University of California, Riverside (UCR).
I also want to give a shoutout to an organization that played a big part in my college journey, Latino Business Student Association. This organization made me the student I am today. I was able to grow within this organization and I was given the honor to serve as the Vice President this academic year.
To my board, thank you for working so hard and putting up with my endless crashouts. Because of our hard work we were able to rise above and be recognized with a handful of awards. To our advisors, Erika and Arutro, thank you for volunteering your time to extend opportunities to our first generation members at UCR.
Thank you to The Highlander for everything that you have offered me, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
