Sydnie Bierma | Not crying over spilled milk, how I found comfort in the uncomfortable

I remember the walk to my first Mustang News meeting in winter 2022. I was so excited to be a part of Mustang Media Group after getting rejected in the fall. I made the trek from yakʔitʸutʸu to Graphic Arts (Building 26) during the atmospheric river of 2022. It feels like it was just yesterday. 

I was already nervous, and the rain did not help my mood. As I walked, I kept talking myself up: ‘It can’t be that much different from high school journalism, I know what I’m doing,’ I thought. As soon as I entered the newsroom and saw a room full of students with the same passion, I knew I’d be alright. I sat through the normal Sunday 5 p.m. meeting, taking it all in. Weekly analytics were given, superstars were announced and breakout pitch meetings were assigned. 

I got to room 123, ready to deliver my pitch about thrifting (the classic features beginner article). I grabbed my MacBook Pro that I got for my eighth grade graduation and opened it up. I was immediately greeted with a loud whine. My computer was dead. All the water in my Hydro Flask had spilled into my newly thrifted tote bag.

This was a defining moment in my Mustang News career. It really wasn’t like high school, and you never really know what to expect. The beauty of it all — the thing that makes this discomfort feel comfortable — is that everyone else in MMG is in the same boat. 

I learned this when the editor I idolized, Lauren Emo, was drastically behind in editing my Shabang story. She said the workload of editing features, along with special sections — a position I’ve now been in for the last two years — was too much.

While MMG is one of the highest awarded college media organizations in the country, I think what makes it so successful is the members are real. We strive for excellence while also understanding that we’re not perfect. Call it “Learn by Doing,” but MMG members aren’t afraid to try something they’ve never done before and can accept when experimentation doesn’t work out. Whether it be trying new concepts for The Peak or reorganizing Go SLO, I’ve tried many new things during my time in MMG.

This resilience is a skill I hope to take into the workforce post-graduation, and something I’m so grateful for during my time working for MMG. Like my suddenly dead computer, the workforce is unknown, but I now know how to adapt. crambling for the basic ingredients that sprinkling MMG on top felt impossible.

My commitment changed the moment I tapped into my passion for videography. Suddenly, the spice was not just added flavor. It was an integral part of the recipe.

Don’t get me wrong, I was busier than I had ever been. My senior year with Mustang News has been filled with video stories, breaking news shifts, STEM entrepreneurship articles and a senior project centered on gender-affirming care. Managing those responsibilities alongside my course load, work, leadership positions and basic functioning had me questioning whether I should send my half-done recipe straight down the drain.

Better yet, MMG was not just one spice to top off the dish. Each new skill I learned or project I worked on introduced a new flavor. Video editing, interviews, meeting strangers and covering comedy festivals and live music filled a space I had not realized needed filling. Gone was the bland, boring, basic meal I had been dully piecing together, replaced with a culinary masterpiece of fantastic flavor. 

Now, as I am almost ready to taste the completed recipe I’ve taken so long to put together, I see how integral each ingredient was. From my music history classes to interviewing music artists as a part of Mustang News, college would not have been complete without every single ingredient.