I’m not entirely sure when I knew I wanted to be a journalist. When I was a senior in high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I settled on journalism, thinking that I could work for a newspaper or magazine and be relatively happy doing what I was doing. Relatively. 

Fast forward to my first day of training at the Daily. I walked into the newsroom in my business casual dress, hearing words I’d never used, calendars drawn on whiteboards and a lot of people who looked way smarter than me. When we were later asked where we saw ourselves after we graduated, I was honestly at a loss for words. I didn’t know where I saw myself in four hours, let alone four years.

A few weeks later, I found myself sitting in a meeting for the arts and entertainment desk. The editor at the time said that they needed a “digital bridge” reporter for the desk. I had no idea what that meant, but I remembered the digital editor, Sarah Muller, being really friendly and enthusiastic on the first day of training. I decided to go for it. 

The year that followed was one of challenges, the occasional breakdown in the office elevator and the best kind of growth I’ve ever had. I wrote everything from short, alternative stories to pieces that landed on the front page of the paper, and I even hosted my own live streamed talk show with some of Ames’ local musicians. It was a year of doing things that I never would’ve done had I gone to another school like I had planned. 

Today, as a news editor of student life, every day brings a new challenge for me. As someone who didn’t write for news last year, I was thrown headfirst into something that I knew virtually nothing about. But it’s been a year of meeting new faculty, making more friends, and yes, shooting off a cannon in Alpha Sigma Phi’s front yard. 

Working at the Daily has been a series of successes and failures that I’ll remember all throughout my career as a journalist. For probably the only time in my whole life, I’m glad I settled. I’m glad I landed on journalism. I had no idea what lay ahead when I set foot in the Daily’s office. My stomach was in knots, but I knew I was meant to be there. Nervous, excited, enthusiastic, all at once. 

I wouldn’t have had it any other way.