Four years later, and looking back, it’s hard not to wonder, did I see myself here? I wholeheartedly believe that what I have accomplished in my time at UCLA is something I could have only dreamt of four years ago.
I grew up a Bruin fan ““ my parents met as undergraduates at UCLA. Thus, UCLA has always held a special place in my heart. For as long as I can remember, I have bled blue and gold. I can remember visiting campus when I was younger, mesmerized by the beauty and history of our university and hoping that one day I too would be a Bruin.
Journalism has been my passion since before I entered high school. I did my research when I was applying to colleges, so I knew the Daily Bruin was an award-winning newspaper, as well as the paper with the third-largest circulation in greater Los Angeles.
All the pieces of my puzzle fell into place when I got my acceptance letter to UCLA. And it is a dream come true for me that I am walking away from my college experience, a proud UCLA graduate and senior staff member at the Daily Bruin.
I stepped onto this campus four years ago with a plan. Impacted or not, I would be a communication studies student. I would work for the Daily Bruin. Now that graduation is finally here, I feel fortunate that I have had the opportunity to accomplish these goals.
As a freshman, I don’t know if I expected three years later to be on the Daily Bruin senior staff. I don’t think I envisioned myself helping to establish the Daily Bruin’s newsmagazine, prime, at UCLA and becoming art director. And I would have never imagined that prime would win a regional award during my time as art director.
Over the course of my four years at UCLA, the Daily Bruin has become my home, a bond I share with some of my closest friends and an integral part of my college experience. I love what I do here, and I love who I do it with.
The Daily Bruin, for me, is many things. My job is to visually tell a story, to catch the reader’s attention and hold it. My experiences at the Daily Bruin have given me the opportunity to maintain a dialogue with our campus. And while I may not learn about journalism in my classes, I have learned so much from the talented people with whom I work.
Most of all, for me the Daily Bruin is the magazine prime. With prime, I’ve gotten to share a new perspective with readers, to explore Los Angeles beyond our campus, and bring to UCLA a glossy magazine filled with music, movies, fashion and more.
Four years ago, when I submitted my Statement of Intent to Register, did I see myself here? Yes. It might not be here exactly, but it was close. And fortunately for me, the reality ““ of what I have accomplished, who I have come to know and where I see myself going after my four years at UCLA and the Daily Bruin ““ is so much more than what I had imagined.
Kan was prime art director for 2009-2010, prime Design assistant in 2009, a designer from 2007-2009 and a photographer from 2008-2010.