Wow, well that was fast. Two years ago, I transferred to San Diego State from Grossmont Community College and was told from the very beginning by counselors to get involved with The Daily Aztec. They said it would get me some good journalistic experience and that it could be used as a resume builder.

But writing for this newspaper has always been so much more than that for me. It helped me make friends and made transitioning from junior college to this university seamless. It helped give me a sense of school spirit, too — I wear my Daily Aztec T-shirt as if it were a jersey, the red letters proudly stretched across my chest.

I’ve worked with three different sets of editors since being at SDSU, and I’ve served as the features section editor, a sports writer and most recently as a columnist covering the football team. While co-workers and job duties changed, one thing remained consistent — I was always surrounded by passionate and caring people who share my love for writing and journalism. One of my cousins told me the biggest differences I would notice while being at a university was that I’d be surrounded by people just as passionate as me, and my time at The Daily Aztec has certainly reaffirmed that statement.

To me, The Daily Aztec is just as big of a part of SDSU as the campus itself. It represents integrity, loyalty and professionalism. It’s told the stories of countless Aztecs and the issues impacting them one article at a time.

This newspaper has also helped write my own story, or at least the beginning of it. Although many of my journey’s pages are still blank, I hope they’ll be filled with exciting endeavors and I hope to see some of you along the way.

Until then, remember to do good and pay kindness forward.

We are, after all, Aztecs for life.