Each staff member has a different reason for choosing to become part of the Daily Bruin, and, more importantly, why we have chosen to stay with it. Life isn’t exactly glamorous in Kerckhoff Hall 118. Signs around the office summarize how I felt at times: “Everyone has midterms, so stop complaining about yours.” Sometimes we question our commitment ““ in my case, why I decided to give up my first couple of years of college, never see my roommates and only make it to half of my classes so I could be stuffed in an office editing stories about the Undergraduate Students Association Council, especially when I didn’t see journalism as a long-term goal.
But four years, two Amy Emmert children and an infinite amount of Panda Express bowls later, here I am. Like everyone else, there were moments that have only reaffirmed my interest in the Daily Bruin. Moments, despite being trampled by angry protesters at a rally, covering four-hour-long events and dealing with nights of late runs, have made this experience all worth it.
That rally had 5,000 protesters marching in Westwood. Your adrenaline rushes as you face that challenge and thrill of reporting, trying to encapsulate every noise, color and action in words.
That event was a UC Board of Regents meeting. During the press conference, you stand right in front of the UC president. With pen and notebook in hand, you ask him how he intends to respond to students’ protests of the fee increases.
Those late nights were spent watching YouTube videos of dumb animals or sharing an epic amount of Baskin-Robbins sundaes with some of the best editors and friends you could work with.
Sure, there are other things I’ve acquired being a part of the staff. I’ve learned how to spell Tabatabainajad and Schwarzenegger without blinking an eye. I uselessly know most of the names of the UC Regents and have memorized a horribly excessive amount of news style that will forever impact the way I space my sentences. But I have also learned that photo bonfires are better without clothes, and the next time I am assigned to attend a Barack Obama event, I will actually make it to the event and not drink the night before.
Most important, I’ve learned that this whole college thing has been more than I could have ever asked for. So here we are at the end, and I can’t believe that this is it, as I conclude this column by writing that great two-digit number. -30-
Indravudh was a 2006-2007 assistant news editor.