Abby Gorman | I think you guys might be thinking about yourselves too much

When I joined MMG winter quarter of my freshman year, I somehow already felt behind. My six-month intermission since high school journalism, combined with my first pitch being rejected in front of a dozen of my incredibly talented peers, really tanked my confidence.

I can’t lie, going from editor-in-chief to a general assignment reporter was a bit of a blow to the ego. So, my identity and confidence as a journalist hinged on how many breaking stories I nabbed or the most “important” events I got to cover. 

I attended more campus events and meetings than I imagined were even held. My days were a steady groove of constant Slack notifications, running out of voice memo storage and never leaving the house without my reporter’s notebook and at least two pens.

It took over a year until I snapped out of my reporter autopilot. In March 2024, I opened my email to a campuswide announcement– the unexpected death of a student.

I wrote two obituaries with my high school paper, so it felt intuitive to take that story. I’m grateful for that opportunity every day. 

Sofia and Nico, I will never forget your loved one’s willingness to let me into their lives after tragedies most will never experience. It was an honor to tell both of your stories, and I’ll never forget the hours of interviews and tiny details of your lives that didn’t make it into print. 

As a student journalist managing a dozen other responsibilities, it’s easy to find yourself knee-deep in deadlines and wonder if this field is right for you. I can think of more than a few late nights trying to get a draft in on deadline, prepping for an interview the next morning and still having assignments to do.

In those moments, I remember one of the simplest yet most valuable pieces of advice I received in college (that happened to come from an Instagram Q&A with “Girls” star Jemima Kirke) – “I think you guys might be thinking about yourselves too much.”

It might not seem profound, but it’s something I try to remind myself all the time. Journalism has never been, and will never be, about ourselves. We chose this field to be public servants, because we care about information, its impact and the communities we serve. 

I’ll carry the stories of my sources with me wherever I go.

The local business owners balancing personal and financial challenges. The student protestors spreading awareness for their families suffering overseas. The students struggling amidst a vital medical shortage. 

Whether you love features or, like me, are a hard news reporter at heart, the message stays the same. Journalism has always been about the communities behind the issue.

Without people’s willingness to open up to a stranger, vigorously taking notes, we’d have no stories. Without their trust, we’d have nothing to report. 

I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I know the journalist spirit will come with me wherever I go. We’re tenacious, inquisitive and sometimes overly cynical. But reporting isn’t that much different from our personal lives and relationships. 

I’m far from mastery of this. I still spend too much time looking in the mirror. I replay inconsequential interactions in my head- and I’m pretty confident I’ll never lose the insatiable urge to nitpick my writing. 

But at a time when everyone is asking what comes next, I encourage you to do something different: think about yourself less.