One thing about me is I crave community. Growing up in a small suburb in San Antonio, Texas and attending a high school with a graduating class of 100 students, a community was never hard to find. When I came to Austin, I immediately felt that something was missing. This change was hard for me — my excitement for college slowly dwindled as my first semester went by. When spring came, I decided to make a change and try out for the organization that made me want to attend UT in the first place: The Daily Texan.

 Luckily things worked out. I was hired as a photographer and I began to enjoy my time on campus, but that quickly came to an end. In 2020, two months into my second semester at college, my two-week spring break turned into a year and a half. The shock of being stuck at home eventually wore off and I found myself missing The Daily Texan. I spent my entire sophomore year back in my small suburb craving the community that I had barely gotten to join. When the time came to go back, the first thing I did was take a chance and reapply to the photo department and luckily again, I was hired. Now here I sit, the happiest I’ve been since coming to UT, and incredibly thankful for the opportunities The Daily Texan has given me. 

I will never forget the long nights in the basement waiting on courtesies, writing captions, and searching for photos. Despite how “painful” these nights were, I will always treasure them. I will forever remember the long hours on my feet in Austin City Limits crowds trying to get a good shot of Billie Eilish or trekking 10 blocks across town to catch the next South by Southwest set. Every time I was able to sit baseline at a basketball game or get in a photo pit at a concert, I wasn’t numb to how lucky I was to be a part of something like The Daily Texan. 

I want to thank the photo editors that took a chance on me like Amna and Jack. I wouldn’t be the same person today without their guidance and encouragement. Along with that, I am eternally grateful for the help of my past and current coworkers who are truly some of my closest friends: Blaine, Julius, Connor, Peyton, Assad and Leila. You guys made all those late nights palatable. Lastly, I am grateful for mentors Eric Gay at the Associated Press, Professor Donna DeCesare and Professor Raymond Thompson who helped me explore photography as a medium and who have encouraged me to keep growing. 

The time for me to move on has come, but part of me will always be the same girl descending the scary, dark staircase of the basement, awaiting my future of friends, memories and full SD cards.