I can’t believe this is it. I’m graduating.

My time at San Diego State has come to an end and to say I’ve had the best time of my life would be an understatement. 

I can’t even begin to express how incredibly grateful and lucky I am for having the opportunity to attend SDSU and more importantly, work for an organization that literally taught me everything I know. 

I am fortunate to have an amazing support system full of family, friends and classmates who never stopped encouraging me, so thank you Mom and Dad for constantly pushing me to strive for success and to chase my dreams.

These past four years have been a roller coaster full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change a thing… well, maybe one thing.

I’m sure a lot of us wish we made better decisions when it comes to academics and relationships we developed with others, but IF I could go back in time to change just one thing… I would’ve joined The Daily Aztec WAY sooner than I did. 

As a freshman, I came into school wanting to pursue a career in journalism, but had no idea where to start and what I’d be doing. After almost changing my major due to uncertainty, a long-time friend and classmate from high school that also attended SDSU, reached out to me to invite me to his section meeting at The Daily Aztec. 

I am beyond lucky to have met so many members of The Daily Aztec that have impacted my experience at SDSU, but the biggest shoutout goes to Jack Molmud.

Jack, thank you for messaging me on Twitter to come to your meeting, you probably should have hit me up earlier, but thank you for teaching me everything I needed to know about producing video content and script-writing. Looking back in 2019, I would’ve never thought I would be where I am now, but you helped me confirm that being a multimedia journalist is the role I was meant for. 

Thank you Amal Younis for teaching me how to produce a news package step by step, showing me how to be more efficient at editing and helping me with my camera presence. You’re way more than just an inspiration to me and I’m truly honored to have been able to take over your role as multimedia editor, which junior year-me would’ve NEVER thought would be possible.

I am forever grateful for everything you and Jack taught me and I hope I left the same impact on my section this year. 

Becoming the Multimedia Editor was extremely scary initially because I felt under qualified, especially since the transition to a fully virtual semester. It wasn’t the easiest transition, but I managed to run an entire video section virtually thanks to the kind and reassuring words from former EIC, Bella Ross and most importantly our current EIC, Brenden Tuccinardi. 

Brenden, I can’t thank you enough for being an amazing and supportive leader throughout this entire year. Your leadership and drive has not only inspired me, but so many others. I’m truly blessed to have been a part of your editorial board. 

Mackenzie Stafford, my partner in crime! Thank you for working alongside me – it has been one of my favorite parts of being multimedia editor and you have taught me so much. Can’t wait to see you thrive these next two years! Alexa Oslowski, the first person I partnered up with on a package, thank you for being there when needed and working closely with me for the past couple years. 

To Kyle Betz, thank you for being my go to guy for anything and teaching me everything I know about golf. ASU isn’t ready for you! Thank you Jayne, Luis, Amber and Catlan for being big contributors to the video section this year – I was lucky to have you.

As for the rest of the section, I couldn’t be more proud of you all for the work you’ve done and for stepping out of your comfort zones for the live shows. I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors and I will always be here for you all, so feel free to reach out to me whenever! 

This year wasn’t anything we expected or ever imagined, but we thrived regardless of the circumstances. I want to thank everyone at The Daily Aztec for giving me nothing but an unforgettable experience and memories that I will cherish forever. It has been a privilege to serve as this year’s Multimedia Editor and I am excited to see what’s next for the future of my Daily Aztec family.

This is the last time I can say this, sooooo I’m out! “…and for The Daily Aztec… I’m Angela Kurysh.”