Wow, I can’t believe the time has come to say goodbye.

Five and a half years at SDSU flew by. It hasn’t felt that long. I still remember the first time I stepped onto campus as an Aztec. 

Now months away from graduating feels surreal, especially in the current state of the world.

To be quite honest, I’ve been avoiding this for as long as I can, but here we go.

My time on the Mesa has been quite the journey. It’s pretty wild seeing where I started to where I am now.

A few years back I did some soul searching and found my place inside the world of journalism, and writing sports for The Daily Aztec has been an adventure.

The relationships this organization gave me were like no other being amongst this group of talented, driven and powerful storytellers.

I’m grateful for each opportunity this organization presented for my career. The best moments I’ve had covering sports were with The Daily Aztec.

You may not realize it, but this newspaper gives you a gift. 

You get a platform to have your ideas turn into reality to make everlasting impressions for years to come.

The stories you create touch lives outside of this campus, and I’d like future journalists to realize this.

Don’t listen to the outside noise, what you do inside this newsroom has both meaning and purpose.

As journalists, we always get credit for our stories, but it goes beyond that.

To my editors and media colleagues, I’d like to say thank you. Each of you one way or another have gone above and beyond to help me grow, especially AJ, Aaron and Kyle. 

You three have put up with me through thick and thin. You were always honest in critiquing my stories, but I knew that was because you wanted to make me better.

Each of you are going to have amazing careers. I’m looking forward to seeing you all thrive in the industry.

I’d also like to thank every single athlete and coach along with their families and friends who helped me along the way.

You make these stories what they are because without you there wouldn’t be anything to talk about.

Thank you for opening up and sharing a small glimpse of your world. I will always remember our conversations and those moments together forever.

As for my future, I’m unsure of where I’m headed but regardless I’m bringing my version of “Mamba Mentality” with me as my idol the late, great Kobe Bryant talked about.

Bryant finished his career by scoring 60 points in his final game. At the time I wrote this it was my 60th online story for The Daily Aztec. Life works in mysterious ways. 

I guess it was only fitting to have some small connection with my idol. I take it as a sign he’s still around me everyday. 

Thank you Kobe. I won’t get the chance to tell you in person, but you planted the seeds of my burning passion for sports. 

Mamba forever.

A dream of mine is to continue helping with coverage of women’s sports. They are just as talented and well deserving of recognition as their male counterparts.

It was a true honor getting to know the lacrosse and women’s basketball teams at SDSU.

Every single woman apart of those programs are some of the most heartwarming and charismatic people you’ll ever meet. They are perfect role models for our society. 

I wouldn’t trade my moments with female athletes for the world. There are so many other stories left to be told. 

Kobe inspired me to get out there and find them. I’d like to change the narrative of women’s sports for the better.

Covering men’s soccer for two seasons was also a blast. The beautiful game was my favorite sport to watch growing up, so getting to spend countless hours near the pitch made me feel so alive.

I could go on and on, but I’ll close with this. 

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Remember to keep striving for whatever it is you want most in this life.

Much love goes out to my family, friends and supporters. You keep me going more than you know.

This next chapter of my life is here as the Viper’s journey continues.

The dream is when you see that goodbyes aren’t for long.