Advocacy & Belonging director forgets student ID to enter Basement 1 last time

My most chaotic day working at the Daily Texan was entirely my own doing. I had just found my seat at a concert in Washington, D.C. during my semester as a virtual associate director when I belatedly realized I was on blue-ing duty for the evening. What followed was the controlled scramble of carefully combing through the day’s stories while the opener sang on. Despite the frenzy, the Texan has never been stressful at all — it’s been quite the opposite.

My freshman year at UT Austin was spent in a blur of genetics quiz to research lab to organic chemistry exam, and I felt like every week was passing me by. An unexpected internship that summer, alongside my fellow interns who produced a magazine in under 10 days, encouraged me to give my love of language a shot. Before opening the Texan application form, I was unaware of what the Advocacy & Belonging Department did. The instinct to select this option in the application drop-down box would gift me the most formative semesters of my college experience.

Admittedly, I looked through the handbook to define a “lede” for myself and asked where the monthly flipbook stories were uploaded on more than one occasion. But soon enough, the familiarity of opening the copy log at 5:30 pm and beginning the day’s edits became comforting. When the tasks of biochemistry practice problems and R homework sets felt tedious, I could always look forward to walking down to the Basement and settling into the cozy A&B corner.

Above all, I have deeply valued the opportunity to take part in the care that goes into publishing stories that are both accurate and fair. Inclusion and representation are shaped by small, precise decisions like verifying each fact, mulling over a single word and taking the time to consider how a story will impact the communities we reach. I was constantly inspired by the passion and thoughtfulness my fellow staffers brought to this process, and I am incredibly grateful to have shared the responsibility.

Of course, I must thank my amazing A&B board. To my associate director Sahiti, thank you for making this summer semester a breeze. I loved discussing project ideas and production schedules with you (across at least three time zones) and I am excited to see all that you do leading the department. To my general contributors, Delanie, Deeandra, Deepika and Vineeta, thank you for all of your enthusiasm and work.

To Saron and Aliza, I am so glad I came into the Texan with you both. I could not have asked for better friends to laugh with at Tapioca House, or better directors to have the privilege of working for. And to Abigail, thank you for first hiring me as a g-staffer and giving me this opportunity. Your leadership is a standard that I always look up to.

To my mom and dad, thank you for being my biggest, most unwavering supporters. You have always pushed me to pursue my passions, and you urged me to take a chance twice: first when I applied to be a contributor and again when I hoped to be A&B director.

To Madeline, thank you for being the best CDC to collaborate with and always being a Slack away when I or the p-staffers had a copy-related question. Finally, to each member of management, every staffer at the Texan and Peter, it was an honor to witness your dedication and excitement each day and work with you.

The Daily Texan taught me that the duty of fostering diversity, inclusion and equity rests in speaking up with clarity and precision. I am lucky to have been a small part of a newsroom that uplifts this responsibility and continually pursues fair representation. I did not enter UT with the Texan, but I am leaving our University with a commitment to advocacy given to me by this newsroom, and for that I could not be more grateful.

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