Author bio:
Charlie Wiltsee is the 2025-26 sports copy editor for Mustang Media Group. When he’s not cosplaying a performative male or roaming the Graphic Arts building, Charlie can be found struggling to reclaim his former confidence on the basketball court or listening to music.
My first year as a part of Mustang News was not exactly the shining performance I had hoped for.
Despite joining the staff with plenty of reporting experience and motivation to contribute to the team as a sports reporter, I came into the year uncertain of where I fit into the newsroom and my own skills as a reporter. That uncertainty was reflected in my work, and for most of that year, I shied away from taking on bigger stories or branching out from my smaller role.
So when it came time for the next year’s editors to choose their staff, my name (or so I have heard from sources who will remain anonymous) appeared on the list of reporters who might not be rehired.
I am both incredibly lucky and grateful they ended up giving me a second chance, because the following year was one that has completely changed the trajectory of my time at Cal Poly.
In that year, I found the confidence to step into my role as a reporter — I was featured in print multiple times, sent on a reporting trip to cover Cal Poly Wrestling in Oregon and got the biggest assignment of my reporting career: covering Cal Poly Swim and Dive’s program cut at the end of winter quarter.
While I understand why I was hesitant to step up in my first year on the team, I can’t help but think about how much would be different if I wasn’t rehired that year.
Almost all of my free time goes into the sports team and my new roles as a DJ and news reporter for KCPR, which have given me the chance to truly find my voice and have solidified my dream to pursue reporting after I graduate this spring.
And the next time I step into a foreign newsroom, studio, station or wherever I end up, I’ll know that I can rely on my experience here as testament to the strengths I bring as a person.