3 years ago, I stepped foot on the San Diego State campus as an official student and it felt amazing to know I got into my dream school. The feeling of overcoming obstacles ever since I was a kid made me feel like it was all worth it and it made me realize that just because I was a dreamer it meant that I couldn’t achieve my dreams. As an Undocumented student, I have faced so many things but joining The Daily Aztec and KCR gave me a platform to accept the fact that Journalism is something I was passionate about and that it would bring me not only close to the community, but it would also bring friends that would be there for life.
I later on joined the National Association of Hispanic Journalist that brought me to a group of people that shared similar experiences and backgrounds which led me to see how we can all support each other at times where we feel that we don’t belong.
As time went on my professors became my motivators something I was not expecting due to always being told that at a University you are just another student to them. There were times when I wanted to give up, but my professors kept me going by giving me opportunities that I never thought I would have.
It is all these things and more that I have experienced that make this farewell so hard because even if I am coming back this fall to my master’s program it feels that I am saying farewell to the Antonio that doubted himself about being able to be a journalist and that one that felt that it wasn’t possible to finish when every obstacle I faced felt like the one that would bring me down. I now understand that every sacrifice I have made was not in vain not only because I will make my mom proud but because somewhere there will be a little seven-year-old boy dreaming of becoming a journalist and I hope to be their inspiration.
I hope I can let students see that giving up is not an option when it comes to your dreams. Mundo Azteca gave me the chance to embrace my culture, language and opinions many times and for that, I am forever grateful. Every minute on the air, every minute writing stories to meet deadlines and every final I took brings us to this point where I write my farewell as a proud staff writer for The Daily Aztec. A farewell that instead of ending it all actually means the beginning of my new path as a journalist.
