When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the card game Uno. But more than anything, I was obsessed with the moments surrounding it, sitting in the living room with my family, glancing up at the TV, and watching the news anchors and reporters who seemed so confident in front of the camera. I remember thinking about how that could be me someday. I was fascinated by the way they told stories, informed people of local and national events. Even then, it wasn’t just the news I loved; it was the confidence it gave others.
In middle school, I was given a chance to try it myself through a program called JagTV, named after our school mascot, the jaguar. I joined in seventh grade and instantly fell in love. I loved the interviews, the filming, the editing, just the overall process. Everything about it felt right. It was my first real taste of journalism, and I didn’t know it then, but it would end up shaping who I am today.
In high school, I attended a vocational school and joined the Graphic Design and Visual Communications shop. It was there that I learned how to bring my ideas to life.
By junior year, I joined PantherTV, our broadcast journalism program. I was interviewing, writing scripts, working with cameras, and taking turns both in front of and behind the camera, which quickly became a part of my everyday life. PantherTV built my confidence in ways I never would’ve imagined, and helped me find my voice.
When graduation came around, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance to keep the journalism passion going.
When I committed to Lasell, I started exploring the different clubs offered on campus and came across our school newspaper, the 1851 Chronicle. I had never written for print before, but the idea of seeing something that I wrote come to life in a physical newspaper really drew me in. I figured maybe it was time to try telling stories in a way I never had before.
Now, writing for the Chronicle has become one of the highlights of my college experience. I love going to pitch meetings, picking stories, and diving right in. When we get the physical copies of the paper, and I get to see my name printed next to something that I wrote for everyone to see, it is a whole new feeling and is such an adrenaline rush. I never would’ve imagined how much I’d enjoy writing, and that this would lead to me becoming an editor for The Chronicle.
Being part of the 1851 Chronicle makes me remember why I fell in love with journalism in the first place. Knowing that people are reading my work is a real confidence booster, and it often reignites that same confidence that I felt back when I did broadcast journalism. I know that the little version of me, sitting in the living room playing Uno and watching the news, would be proud of who I’ve become and everything I’ve accomplished, both back home and here at Lasell.
–Dec. 8, 2025–
