I first took a tour of the Daily Bruin offices fall quarter of
my freshman year. At the time, I really wanted to be here, and I
fell in love with the place immediately.
At the time, I wanted to be a part of something larger than I
was alone, to do something worthy, to promote positive change in
the world by enlightening readers one at a time. And so the Daily
Bruin became my new home.
That time in my life has passed. Taking a stroll through the
office today, I see the same young and idealistic faces that have
been coming in every day for the last four years. The idealism and
energy is always the same, but the faces are constantly
changing.
These fresh faces come in to work between classes, in the
mornings, late at night, and on weekends, working ungodly hours,
sacrificing so much for the sake of pursuing a journalistic
ideal.
I was once one of them. Sitting back and quietly watching them,
I now realize what my predecessors were thinking when they watched
me work. There are so many stories I want to tell these new people,
so many enriching experiences I want them to be exposed to. But I
keep my mouth shut. Because some things are best left to be
experienced, and I believe working at the Daily Bruin is one of
them.
I could sit down and write a 30-inch column explaining my
thoughts and feelings about my four years at the Daily Bruin. But
it would hardly be the tip of the iceberg.
The Daily Bruin is not all about the readers. It’s about
us ““ the sooner we realize and accept this, the better off we
will be. The Daily Bruin will always be bigger than just one
individual, and I am proud to have been a part of this place.
In the end, I didn’t change the Daily Bruin. I don’t
think it can be changed. Instead, the Daily Bruin changed me and
everyone else who sacrificed so much to work here. I believe
experiencing this institution has changed us for the better, and I
can only hope those who come after me and my peers will come to the
same realization.
To all the new friends I’ve made here, thanks for the
memories. To Cuauhtemoc, with whom I shared a dream, thanks for
allowing me to turn it into a reality. To Maegan: there will never
be another Viewpoint like ours. To Jeyling: I wish you the best
next year, and I look forward to great things from you.
Chiao is graduating with a degree in electrical engineering.
E-mail him at [email protected].