Stephany Mejia began her first year on a rocky start, but through the participation in an extracurricular activity and the guidance of her professors she discovered a few of her passions.

When Mejia started university she said it was a big transition for her from high school. She was not involved on campus until her third year where she joined The Cougar Chronicle. Before joining, in her first couple of years, she said she felt alone.

If she could give advice to her freshman self, it would be to put herself out there more.

“I regret not going to office hours and not joining the The Cougar Chronicle earlier … I would’ve had a bigger understanding of what I wanted to do later on after I graduated,” said Mejia.

In 2016, she became a News Reporter, then a News Editor and is currently the Assistant Features Editor. She said she will miss the Cougar Chronicle staff and her classmates because she has learned a lot from them.

“[A] favorite thing at The Cougar Chronicle was meeting new people [and] listening to their stories. That’s what I love, the testimonies that people have, and it’s just a passion that has grown in me,” said Mejia.

During her time as News Editor, although it was stressful for her in the beginning, she said it was rewarding to see the news section grow in personnel.

Mejia has always had a passion for media and entertainment, but she was never sure of what part of that she wanted to do specifically. She grew up passionate for journalism and she said she knows it is a difficult industry to get into.

Some of her favorite professors were Dr. Antonia De La Garza, Dr. Gloria Pindi and Dr. Joonseong Lee. She said that they were passionate about teaching and allowed her to open her mind to new possibilities.

Mejia’s favorite classes were Dr. De La Garza’s COMM 420 Border Rhetorics and Dr. Lee’s MDIA 451 Media, Religion, Popular Culture.

Although she is not sure what to do after graduation, she said she will take life as it hits her and learn from that.

Mejia will be graduating this fall with a BA in Communication and a minor in French.

Mejia said her last couple of weeks have been stressful, but she said she could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s rewarding that I’m finishing something that a lot of people can’t do or don’t dare to do,” said Mejia.