Some may not know this, but as a member of the media there is no cheering in the press box. It’s meant to be an unbiased atmosphere and can be kicked out for doing so.  

Now, some may not know this, but I classify myself as a very emotional person, so asking me to suppress my feelings as a Texas fan, a Texas student — well, it would come to be a perpetual problem for me at my time at the Daily Texan. 

Let me backup… 

I think I took the same, basic path that most of us did to get here. From a young age I could always write. When I was a child, I was shy and speaking out in public was always and, honestly, still is, an obstacle I face. But I could always write what I was feeling and what I wanted to say. When I finally made it to high school I did the whole newspaper and yearbook editor-in-chief pipeline that pushed me into pursuing journalism in college.

Now as for the sports department, I was also always drawn to sports. From playing them all throughout my adolescence, I found it difficult to give up completely when I came to college, so trying out for the department was a no-brainer. What I didn’t know at the time was that submission helped shape my college experience and the person who is writing her 30 column.

I do love sports, but not in the way some of my colleagues are where they can recite any niche statistic dating back to the stone ages. Instead, I love the emotional, soul-stirring aspects that sports can unleash. Such as the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series win after a 100 year “curse” or Texas alumna Julien Alfred clinching gold in the women’s 100m and taking home the first ever Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.

Going back to when I started my work at the Texan, I wrote five pieces my first semester. I lacked confidence and ability to ask for guidance. Not having a beat when I joined the staff, I remember I struggled badly to find stories to pitch, so much so that the sports editor at the time begrudgingly gave me a Texas track and field assignment, just so I could push out some pieces. Once, I was finally able to gain some direction, what followed was momentum. I gained confidence in telling stories and in capturing the essence of sports. 

The beginning of my sophomore year I was given one of the most substantial beats in my time here: Texas volleyball. Long story short, that 2022 volleyball squad went on to be national champions and I got to follow them all the way. This may sound insane, but I felt a part of them. Not like I was on the roster, my one season of fifth grade volleyball didn’t allow me to make the cut. But I knew them, I talked to them on a weekly basis and I had told their story and in that national championship game against Louisville in December of 2022, I did cry. Embarrassing.

From volleyball, I continued to move through beats like softball, men’s basketball and now football, as well as positions jumping from general staff, to senior staff, sports desk editor and now associate sports editor.

Now, let me take you back a few weeks ago to Nov. 23. An ordinary Saturday for some, but for me it marked my last home football game as a student at the University of Texas at Austin. And was it a great, rivalry, neck-and-neck game that I was watching from the press box? No. The Longhorns played an unranked Kentucky team and pummeled them 31-14, but it marked the end of so many things for me. My time as a student, my potential last time in the DKR press box and my time as a sports reporter for the Daily Texan. And within minutes of the game’s end I couldn’t restrain a tear or two from falling. 

However, with the game monumentalizing an end to one career, I’d like to think it marks the
beginning of many new possibilities. With my experience here, I have gained numerous skills, on top of learning so many things about myself, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone that has taken some part in that. 

As for the future, I am full-time job hunting and while I am not solely looking for something in the sports industry, I can’t help but think that someday I will be back in the press box. And as exciting as that may be, for now, I am beyond excited to sit back and be allowed to cheer again.