Never would I have imagined that a college newspaper would become the defining part of my four years as an undergraduate. Yet, here I am.

I joined Daily Trojan during my sophomore year hoping to continue writing for a newspaper like I did in high school. Now, as a senior completing my last semester at USC, I am the editor-in-chief of the publication — like I was in high school.

This full circle moment feels increasingly surreal with each time the thought crosses my mind. It also prompts a wide range of emotions: happiness, stress, excitement, worry and hope, to name a few.

Over the course of my involvement with the Daily Trojan, it evolved from being simply an extracurricular into my whole college experience. I’ve spent more time in the newsroom than my own apartment. I’ve worked my sleep schedule around my night shifts. I’ve said no to countless plans with my friends because I had production — and I’ve gotten used to hearing my friends say, “Let me guess: Daily Trojan?”

But I love it so much. I look forward to production on the days I work, the other editors are some of my closest friends and the newsroom honestly feels like home now. The fourth floor of the Student Union is now associated with both my happiest and most stressful moments of college. 

I have a sense of pride and achievement when I reminisce on the collective work the staff has done: powerfully covering major topics, selflessly serving the publication’s community and engaging the audience with our words and voices, all while working long hours and forging friendships.

So, if I had to share one thing I want to achieve this semester during my time as editor-in-chief, it would be to help every staffer feel that same sense of pride and achievement to some degree.

Staff culture had a hefty role within my election platform. The work the Daily Trojan does is incredibly fulfilling, but none of it is possible without our amazing staffers and editors. Emphasizing the value of intra-staff connections and sharing the newsroom as the welcoming and safe space I know it is will help improve staff morale, retention and mental health. 

Another big push this semester is to have our diversity, equity and inclusion committee be much more involved and integrated into the daily workflow. There will be office hours with the committee as well as a more hands-on role in production to ensure our publication is being truly representative and to aid in outreach efforts.

The third pillar of this semester will be perfecting our workflow. For those who do not know, the Daily Trojan has made huge strides in the past few semesters by expanding digital sections, growing our features section, creating a magazine, redesigning our online presence and much more. After such drastic growth, it is imperative for us to find and follow a system that works best for our staff. This way, we can make sure we are efficiently and consistently putting out quality work. 

While these are the three biggest focuses for this semester, the Daily Trojan is constantly striving to improve, and I aspire to lead and guide the staff through these efforts. I have high hopes in our desire to learn and a lot of confidence in our efforts.

Beyond it all, though, I hope the staff feels inspired and fulfilled, because I want everyone to feel that same sense of pride and achievement in the Daily Trojan that I do.