Katy Clark | Better than I could have ever imagined

When I walked into the Mustang News newsroom for the first time as a reporter in my freshman year, it felt like the start of a new journey. I knew I wanted to be a journalist since seeing fictional journalists like Lois Lane on my TV screen and realizing it sounded like the perfect career for me. Like covering breaking news and being the first to break the story, sign me up. 

Journalism seemed glamorous, fun, exciting and almost like a fantasy in my mind in high school where I would dream about becoming a reporter one day. 

And then, I did. And honestly, becoming a reporter is so much better than I could have even imagined. 

Mustang News is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I genuinely could not imagine what college would have been like, had I not signed up to be on the news team. Every day brought new challenges, excitement and joy as I took on new stories, interviewed new people and broadened my perspectives.

But that’s not even the best part: My favorite part of being in this wonderful organization is the inspiring people in the newsroom, the ones who motivated and cheered me on and the ones who I looked up to in amazement. 

A huge part of what kept me motivated and passionate in journalism all through college were my fellow reporters and editors, who have achieved so much and offered me so much advice. As a freshman, I had no idea how to approach and interview people during a breaking news situation. I was scared. My editor Lauren Emo calmly explained what I should do in great detail and gave me the confidence to succeed. Without that initial push, I don’t think I would be where I am today. 

And the excitement in the newsroom during a huge reporting day is a feeling I will never get over. Everyone is so passionate and willing to pitch in — it’s the lifeblood that keeps this organization going. How can you feel anything but inspired every time you leave a place like the Mustang News newsroom. And make sure to say bye on the way out, because there will always be someone that says goodbye in response. That’s just how the newsroom runs.

I can’t even count the number of times in my journalism career where I have stumbled and someone has been there to catch me, lift me up and motivate me to run again. Because truthfully, journalism is a rewarding but hard career at times. It feels like you always have to be on your best game, and burnout is real. But burnout is no match for the friends I have had at my side, whose kind words inspire me to try again, to seek out a new angle and to remain positive.

Looking towards my future after graduation, I am so excited to continue a career in journalism. I can’t wait to wake up every day, grateful for the work I am able to do. But I will also never forget the place that made all my dreams come true, and more: the Mustang News newsroom. So I’m saying goodbye to the newsroom in the Graphic Arts building at Cal Poly for now, but just know it will always be with me, because I would not be the journalist I am today without its support.