Where do I begin…

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been writing stories and making up fairytales, anywhere from Sally and the Pencil Family to a story about a haunted house run by a bat.

I came to WSU with the hopes of becoming a lawyer while pursuing a criminal justice major. After realizing there was something lacking in my life, Anna Michalson, my big in the Kappa Delta sorority, convinced me to write an article for The Daily Evergreen about the Food for Fines program.

Three years later, I can confidently say the Evergreen changed my life.

I had the opportunity to write some really fun, wholesome articles about WSU love stories and feature pieces, as well as some harder news stories involving crime and the community.

I started my own column, the Cougar Cowgirl. Mixing my love for writing with my Western lifestyle and being able to share my journey of college rodeoing through writing was one of the biggest blessings to me and simply awesome.

When the horrific murders took place in Moscow in 2022, USA Today reached out to the Evergreen looking for a reporter to help them write some articles. I was excited to have a shot at my first big girl article, and I took the opportunity immediately.

Because of my freelancing time with USAT, I applied for a summer internship with them as a Search and Optimization reporter.

Then, because of the confidence I was finding in my writing and the love I realized I had for telling the stories of the community, I applied for Murrow College’s prestigious donor-funded Backpack Journalism Program that travels internationally to report on communities abroad.

I was selected for both programs, and both of them continued to change my confidence and abilities as a journalist. They were experiences I will cherish forever.

I have been a reporter, copy editor, multimedia editor and now the copy chief of the Daily Evergreen, and there is nothing in the world I would change for the experience I have had the last three years.

The Daily Evergreen opened the door to every opportunity I have received, and for that, I am forever indebted. I was reminded how much I love writing, meeting new people, hearing new stories and sharing that with the world.

My Goodbye

To all of my fantastic Murrow professors, thank you beyond words.

Professor Benjamin Shors, thank you for forcing me to look deeper into stories and ask tougher questions. Professor Matthew Loveless, thank you for helping me find a passion in broadcast journalism and allowing me to be myself on and off the camera.

Professor Wendy Raney, thank you for working with me on stories and giving me advice consistently, regardless of the fact that I was never your student. Joy Wanja-Thuku, thank you for being a mentor and a friend in and out of journalism.

And Professor Alison Boggs, thank you for your everlasting mentorship and care for the last two years; you are the true definition of a professor who leaves a lifelong impact.

To the Kappa Delta sorority, thank you for bringing me my best friends. Living in Mango Deck and having a pajama party every night has been the highlight of my experience. I made so many relationships and friendships that I will carry with me forever.

To WSU and Pullman, I am so eternally grateful for this little town and all of the opportunities, people and memories I have made here. I feel as though there are no words I can say that would come close to the impact this place has left on me. All the tears, laughter, pain and love I have felt over the last four years are irreplaceable.

I am graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Production, with an additional major in the Criminal Justice department. I cannot wait for what the next chapter holds, but this chapter will always be one of the most special to me.

Go Cougs, forever and ever.