The past two and half years have been eventful. My time here at Cal State San Marcos started during the fall 2019 semester; I had just transferred from MiraCosta College, eager to start this new chapter in my academic career. 

If you would’ve asked 2019 Tania where she would imagine herself in two years, she probably wouldn’t have given you an answer.

Two years ago, I had no sense of direction; I knew I wanted to pursue a career in journalism but never really exhibited that energy, nor was I confident in my abilities to do so. I blame imposter syndrome for that; the voice in the back of my head telling me that I wasn’t good enough or amounted to the same kind of skill my peers had.

When I first joined The Cougar Chronicle in August 2019, I had just finished my time as the print editor for The Chariot News at MiraCosta, so I was familiar with the newsroom environment. But every newsroom works differently, so I adjusted accordingly. 

With my previous experience, I felt somewhat confident in my writing and didn’t bother to review before submitting, which I would not recommend. It wasn’t until the editors edited my articles that I realized I wasn’t really the writer I saw myself as and improvements needed to be made.

At times, I felt inadequate to be a writer, but with practice and helpful tips from previous editors and our faculty advisor Kent, my writing has evolved into what it is today.

During the pandemic, it was hard not to fall back into a negative mindset; everything was shut down. We couldn’t step onto campus and the days felt long.

However, I think being away from campus for almost a year helped me grow to love journalism and squash my imposter syndrome as that passion grew inside me.

As much as I am tired of it, this pandemic gave me the time to work on myself as a person, student and journalist. While we couldn’t meet face-to-face in the Chronicle office every Tuesday and Thursday, my predecessors tried to keep that atmosphere alive in any way possible. 

My time at The Cougar Chronicle has taught me that anything is possible. As Editor-in-Chief this past semester, I learned more about myself as a journalist and how to manage a paper on a campus that is still transitioning back to in-person activities.

This experience has been fulfilling for me as I continue pursuing journalism after graduating this semester. I’ve learned about being a better leader and finding new ways to engage with The Chronicle staff daily.

While I will say, there were road bumps along the way, many of which were unexpected. Managing The Cougar Chronicle in a hybrid format was not ideal, but I learned how to work with the barriers to producing content for our paper.

I am very proud and impressed with our staff this semester, the majority of whom were new to journalism, produced great content, improving with each edition. To all the editors, thank you for all the work you have done in making this paper great in getting articles covered last-minute or designing the layout; thank you.

I would also like to thank our faculty advisor, Kent Davy, for helping me become a better journalist and editor. I’ve gained a better understanding of journalism thanks to your advice and help throughout this semester.

The future is bright for The Cougar Chronicle, as the staff continues to create the best content. The Chronicle is being left in great hands and I’m excited to see their growth. 

Thank you, Cougar Chronicle, for the past two years. Thank you for allowing me to become even more passionate about journalism, for allowing me to serve as the Opinion Editor and, eventually, Editor-in-Chief and for allowing me to become a more confident writer.

It’s been a pleasure to be a part of The Cougar Chronicle, thank you.