Well…this is it, isn’t it?

One last story as a college student. One last article from the sports editor. And it’s not even about sports.

Sometimes, the hardest thing to write about is yourself, yet here I am typing away about little old me.

Gosh, it seems like a thousand years ago. I transferred to San Diego State University, became a staff writer for the Daily Aztec, and realized I loved doing this.

I know this is supposed to be just another article, but I was really hoping this would be a quick job. Now, for perhaps the first time in my life, I have no clue what to say.

Forgive me if I get a little informal here, but I think I can get away with it just this once.

Growing up as a little kid, I loved sports, specifically baseball. Unfortunately, I flamed out in junior varsity after collecting a whopping three at-bats (with each one resulting in a strikeout, twice looking and one swinging).

But, when one door closes, another opens. Turns out I was pretty good at writing essays at Santana High School and it was actually pretty fun to write them. Then, I read the recaps of San Diego Padres game by a columnist named Dennis Lin, saw what he did and a lightbulb went off.

Thus began the long and winding road that eventually led me to the sports editor desk at The Daily Aztec.

To be clear, being the sports editor for The Daily Aztec was never about the title of “sports editor.” It was never about the status or the clout or the courtside coverage or the spotlight. Sure, those things are nice, but that’s not what being a journalist is about.

It was always about telling a story in an entertaining yet informative way while making sure everyone had their voice heard. Each time I sat down to write anything for this paper, I did so with the goal of letting people know what happened, why it happened and why it matters.

I wouldn’t have gotten that chance to write these stories if it wasn’t for people like Jack Molmud, who encouraged me to join the sports section. 

Or someone like Aaron Tolentino, the first sports editor I knew, assigning me to a women’s tennis match and taking the time to fix my many, many, many errors in my first recap.

Then, there was Kyle Betz and Luis Lopez, who navigated the confusing and sometimes frustrating COVID era at The DA with dignity and professionalism while still keeping weekly section meetings optimistic and fun.

Of course, I have to thank the first sports section I ever knew, and yeah I’m listing all of you because you guys mean that much. Devin, Brandon, Reese, Amber, DG (with an appropriate Star Wars reference), Aaron, Kyle, Breven, Luis, Michael and Cristian… I don’t know if you’re seeing this right now but you guys made this kid from Santee feel right at home, and I will always thank you for that.

To everyone at the East Village Times and James Clark, who kickstarted my career by sending me out to cover San Diego Sockers games, it was you guys who really got me dedicated to this path, you also have my deepest of gratitudes.

I have to thank my assistant sports editor, Andrew Finley, who I am proud to call not just an assistant, but a good friend. Who knew that sitting in audio classes with Professor Wirig at Grossmont would bring us here?

There is no one else I’d rather have by my side to tackle this job. You kept me on my feet when I needed it and you’re gonna do great things at Ramona in your coaching career. 

Catlan and Trinity, you two took a chance on me when you didn’t have to. Thanks for having the confidence in me to get the job done and for pushing me when I was feeling low.

And how can I forget my fellow editors? I appreciate every last one of you, I know you guys are going to go on to do amazing things in your careers. Don’t think for a second that you don’t deserve it either: you’ve earned all the success that is coming your way.

To all of my professors here at SDSU, from Littlefield to Trotter to Coddon to McCormick, it was you who pushed me to do better and better with each assignment. Did the going get tough at some points? Most certainly. Did I become a better journalist because of it? I’d like to think so.

Of course, how could I be here without everyone in the sports section?

It was an honor and a privilege seeing the growth all of you went through in the sports section and seeing all of the stories and the packages getting better and better as the year progressed was a treat to see in person.

I am going to have so many good memories of this final year and a lot of them can be attributed to you guys. Whether it was Jenna and Marco cracking jokes (to put it lightly) in their corner during meetings, the Vegas crew working until past midnight to get our work done or the entire section derailing a meeting to tell a story or laugh at something going on in the sports world, I am so happy to call all of you my friends.

…Ok, this story is going to hit the thousand mark in words. Time to wrap it up.

Yeah, I’m leaving. Am I afraid of what the future holds? Not gonna lie, a little bit.

But the show must go on and I’ll be damned if I don’t face it with a grin, because I’ll never give in.

So, to everyone reading this and to everyone in The Daily Aztec I leave behind, I leave you with a phrase from my all-time Pink Floyd favorite song.

Shine on, you crazy diamonds.