Writing is my passion, and passion is my life source.

I am constantly seeking that passionate feeling, and writing has been such a prominent part of my world for so long. It has been a creator of comfort in hard times and a sense of purpose in all the times.

In fifth grade, I picked out a notebook specifically to write stories in. I sort of just decided I would be a writer, and it stuck with me.

While I may not have been creating the highest quality of writing, I was writing a lot. Short stories were my main focus. I even wrote a couple children’s books— one was about a family of ducklings, which is definitely a must-read.

As I grew into my teenage years, I began dabbling in poetry. I went through the phase where every line needed to rhyme, but once I got a little more serious and experienced more of life, my poems became some of my best material.

During my junior and senior years of high school, I was a part of the newspaper staff, The Equestrian. I was deemed as the unofficial “layout editor” as a senior; however, layout was only my second favorite part. My favorite part was brainstorming ideas and helping others learn the ways of journalism.

Senior year was also when I took my first ever creative writing class, which was so beneficial to me. At some point during seventh grade, I had stopped writing. My mind was dark for a while, and cutting out one of the few things I loved only made it worse.

I had slowly reintroduced myself to writing, but that senior year class encouraged me to think more critically and strategically as I wrote, which allowed me to dive deeper into the writing world once again.

Approaching high school graduation, I took another detour. I decided to pursue a biology degree here at Iowa State because I love documentaries and reading science articles. A huge problem though: I can’t do math. Turns out, I also hate three-hour chemistry labs.

Journalism pulled me back in. Over the winter break of my freshman year, I could feel it in my gut; I knew I had to get back to my roots. Then, the Iowa State Daily found me.

I worked with the Diversity Desk as a women’s and gender issues beat reporter and quickly moved up to news editor of academics. Now, I’m in the role of editor-in-chief, which I truly had thought was only a dream. Working to make these dreams come true is so rewarding and motivating.

I love the Daily. I love talking to people. I love improving my individual skills while guiding others to take advantage of their incredible potential. I truly cannot imagine my life without journalism and, specifically, all the wonderful connections and experiences the Daily has presented to me.

Through this year as editor-in-chief, I will strive to continuously learn, strengthen the quality of our content and work with my fellow student journalists to accomplish all the goals we have.

I hope you read along. We’re happy to have you.

I would love to hear what you’re passionate about, what your personal dreams are and how you’re turning them into reality. Let me know by sending me an email at [email protected].