As I glance through old photos, it feels like it was centuries ago that I stood at the top of the Janss Steps, a young and bright-eyed freshman girl staring out in wonder at the buildings all around me. Little did I know of the infinite magic I would discover in this vast new playground we call college and in myself.
Now, at the end of what seems a beautiful era, I have only words left to recall my memories and tell my story.
As a news writer, I always strove to be objective. I was always careful to exclude my own opinions and biases from the stories I wrote. Now, for the first time, this column is my chance to tell my own story, and for the first time, I feel I am at a loss for words.
Anyone who knows me well will know that I am a firm believer in telling stories and reliving moments through photographs and written words.
The first I fulfilled with my digital camera throughout my four years at UCLA, as my friends can attest to. The second I fulfilled by becoming a Daily Bruin news writer.
As a young girl, I loved words. I’ve always been an avid reader and have admired storytellers such as Scheherazade, Jules Verne and William Shakespeare. I joined the Daily Bruin in order to write stories to educate my readers about what was going on in their community and their world.
I didn’t imagine that my tenure as a Daily Bruin news writer would also serve to educate me not just about what was going on but about how each and every one of us has a story to tell.
In my time at the Bruin, I have gone to places I never could have imagined going. I have dined at a chancellor’s house, followed the story of a baby receiving a heart transplant, had paint thrown on me during a literally colorful cultural event, told the story of a soldier, covered the 2008 presidential election and most recently, covered the controversial California Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8, among many other experiences.
Though I first joined the Daily Bruin to strike a balance between my South Campus classes and my love for literature and writing, the stories I wrote ultimately had an impact on my future career. It was through the Daily Bruin and the stories that I covered that I discovered my love for politics and law. I have been with the Daily Bruin for four years and it hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I am leaving now.
As I ride into the proverbial sunset, I am confident that wherever the future takes me, I will always carry with me both my digital camera and my passion for storytelling through the written word.
Yazdy was a 2006-2009 Daily Bruin reporter.