It's a funny story how I got into journalism. In order for me to tell you this story, however, I have to take a step back.
It all started when I began my college career. I originally entered my undergrad as a Criminal Justice major at San Diego State University. After two years into the program, it just wasn't the right fit for me. It's not that I disliked being involved with law enforcement, I was missing passion for it. I liked criminal justice, but I didn't love it. So I told myself that I have to go for something I love.
I took some time to reflect and think about what I wanted to do. I had options but I felt lost at the time. It's probably one of the scariest feelings to experience in college. Not knowing which path to take in hopes of landing a career to spend the rest of your life can be stressful. Not to mention the pressure of being a young adult and figuring out your place in the world. The one area I knew I 100% had a passion for was sports.
The only downside about sports is it's such a broad spectrum of career options. I never thought about getting into the marketing and business side of sports. Nor did I feel I'd enjoy being a director or manager of a sports team. I took a leap of faith and tried Kinesiology. I thought perhaps getting into coaching and nutrition would be a nice route to take. Nope. I was wrong again. One semester, a couple failing grades and countless mental breakdowns later, I was ready to flee from this new major. Kinesiology made it feel like I was getting ready for medical school. Learning everything about the human body was overwhelming. The exposure to assessing sports injuries was a tough pill to swallow.
It was back to the drawing board for me. It was probably one of my lowest points in life. Except for this time I had to figure things out. Again I stuck with the realm of sports as my security blanket. When I was brainstorming, it came across my mind that my daily routine consisted of watching either sports games or sports shows. Then I thought about how much I enjoy watching people like Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, and Stephen A. Smith talk about sports. I put two and two together with the conclusion that maybe doing sports coverage would be a cool route to take. That's when it all clicked.
Switching into Journalism turned out to be a great decision. I finally found the drive and passion I was looking for. I don't know why I didn't become a journalist sooner. Outside of school I already enjoyed reading and writing. What I enjoy about journalism is how I not only have the ability to focus on sports, but there's so much more outside of that. Whether its politics, entertainment, innovation or sports, I can cover it all. Journalism gives me the impression of basically learning how to be professionally nosy. There's always something going on in the world. As a journalist, it's your job to get out there and find out what's happening.
It's exciting to talk to people and hear their stories. The amount of information you gain as a journalist is fulfilling. Sure it can be stressful with deadlines, but overall I think the world of journalism is amazing. What I've taken away from being an amateur journalist so far has been great. It's all thanks to the student-run organizations like KCR College Radio and The Daily Aztec. These groups helped me grow as a journalist.
For three semesters now I've had the opportunity to host my very own radio show. Going live on the air was intimidating at first, but now I can't get enough. Being a part of the school's newspaper for the past couple semesters has also been great. I was blessed with covering Division One sports teams like men's soccer and football throughout the season. I learned interview skills, developed relationships with coaches and players and improved my writing. Of course, some of the credit needs to go to my professors and lecturers. Every journalism course pushed me one step further in reaching my goals.
The future is bright and I'm enthusiastic to see where I end up in journalism. I continue to work on my craft and head into my career with open arms to make the most of my opportunities.
