It’s Sunday morning. I’m at a Denny’s in City Heights, enjoying the two things I’ve come to appreciate most during college—greasy food and coffee. I’m not going to lie, I’m at the peak of the most stressful time in my life.
I wish that bit of information was included in the college acceptance letters: “We’re excited to welcome you into the San Diego State class of 2014. You’re entering an exciting time in your life where you’ll determine how little sleep you can actually function with, baffle at each professor’s inability to use Blackboard, and yell at the frat-tank bros behind you for talking during lecture, all while completely working your ass off for a B-.”
But it’s important to learn some of these things on your own. One of the more important concepts I’ve learned in college is escape. There are times when there are 50 emails to answer, two essays to write, and you haven’t called your mom in a whole week, but you still end up binge-watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and that’s OK. Unfortunately, very few people, and certainly not any college courses, have told me that mental and emotional health is more important than landing an internship and a 4.0 GPA.
As I hit save on this word document, I see 48 other documents in my “Daily Aztec” folder. To say that this newspaper has been a significant aspect of my college career is an understatement. I still remember clipping out every article I wrote my freshman year and taping them onto my dorm door. For some reason it’s just not as cute three years later when you live with four strangers and are trying to snag your first “real” job. Through this newspaper, not only have I met the future of journalism, but also mentors, genuine friends and my partner.
Warning: Cheesy sentiments ahead. I’d like to thank anyone who has ever read an article penned by me, even if you only read the headline and looked at the pictures. I’d like to thank my writers for making me feel like I actually had wisdom to pass on, and being loyal beyond expectation. Most importantly, I’d like to thank the entire editorial staff for putting up with my sass and loud gangster rap music.
Photo by Monica Linzmeier, photo editor
