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Senior Farewells: Management

The Daily Aztec’s management team says “so long” to SDSU
May 20, 2026
Calista Stocker, Editor-in-Chief

Moving 3,000 miles away from New Hampshire to San Diego wasn’t easy.

My freshman year at SDSU was plagued with unstable living conditions, homesickness and physical sickness (shoutout mononucleosis). At the end of my first semester, after writing just one article for The Daily Aztec, I was convinced I’d transfer.

I’m so glad I didn’t. 

Journalism has been a rock for me throughout these past four years. SDSU’s journalism program required me to take a look outside myself, at the world and the lively campus around me that are full of stories. 

This ultimately led me to rejoin The Daily Aztec halfway through my sophomore year as an opinion contributor, easing back into reporting by starting with my own thoughts and experiences. After having such a positive experience, I slowly transitioned into news writing and I haven’t looked back since. 

I’ll never forget when I opened that email from Jesse Marx saying I was selected as co-editor-in-chief. I was working out at the ARC, saw the notification and ran from the machine to call my mom. 

I was nervous to step into the role after having written just 12 stories, surrounded by a management team of experienced former editors. But it was these former editors, Bella Biunno and Mimi Simons, who showed me the ropes and have helped me turn my convictions into reality. 

From increasing newsworthy coverage to bringing back the DA Live and the print edition, I am so incredibly proud of The Daily Aztec’s transformation this year. Under my co-managers and the rest of our amazing team, we have become a paper of record made by and for students, and I am humbled to have played a part. 

If you have ever even thought about writing for The Daily Aztec, do it. It will take you amazing places. 

Mimi Simons, Managing Editor
Mimi Simons, Managing Editor

San Diego State wasn’t just where I went to college— it’s where I found my voice. Walking onto campus as a nervous out-of-state freshman, I never could have imagined that a college newspaper would help shape the person I am today.

Growing up in musical theater, I loved standing with a cast and sharing a story with an audience. When I joined The Daily Aztec and stepped into live broadcasts, it felt like a new kind of stage with cameras instead of spotlights and a campus community instead of a crowd. Those moments slowly pulled me out of my shell and showed me I could trust my own voice.

From there, I started writing movie reviews and somehow ended up at pre‑screenings for “Wonka” and “Wicked.” I’m still a little stunned that watching movies before their release date and sharing my thoughts were part of my college experience.

Later, as social media editor, I spent my days deep in drafts and captions, trying to make every post–whether it was breaking news or a small shoutout–feel like it mattered to someone.

Finally, as managing editor, I saw the full picture of late-night edits, stories that almost fell apart and then came together and contributors who walked in shy and walked out confident. 

While SDSU gave me an education, The Daily Aztec gave me a community and a sense of purpose I didn’t know I was missing. 

To everyone who watched a broadcast, read a review, trusted us with their story or sat beside me in the newsroom: thank you. You changed my life, and I hope, in some small way, I changed yours too.