Sink or swim with paper, piranhas

When I first joined the Daily Bruin last year I didn’t know what to expect: I was an editor of the newly created Radio department. It was my fourth year, and I felt like I jumped into a huge lake that was full of freezing water, piranhas, sharks with heat-seeking missiles attached to their gills and recycled back issues of the Daily Bruin.

But hey, I like a challenge. So I took a deep breath and dove into the madness.

It was a crazy year: learning how to edit, communicate with editors and figuring out how to use the computers in the office. Sometimes while writing an e-mail, the monitor would just decide to turn a tinge of purple ““ which is when we’d have to call the police for assistance. But really, there was much to learn about how the newspaper worked, and like I said, I was thrown into it. So, ultimately the question is: Was it worth it for me to join the Daily Bruin?

Let me say that I never aspired to be a journalist after college, and I still don’t. I really only got into this because I found it was fun to go out and cover an event, work with others to create great content and meet awesome people. I definitely got to do these things at the Daily Bruin. There is a sort of beauty to working with people and making something substantial, thought-provoking and entertaining. It’s a very deep and personal feeling that I hope will continue throughout my life until it’s time for me to check out.

Could I have done my job better? Most definitely. The motivation wouldn’t always be there, or I would make a mistake. But I’m glad I messed up. I learned from each of my mistakes and became a more efficient and effective editor ““ I think.

But now, it’s time to pass the torch to the next wave of editors, who I wish all the luck in the world. They will do a great job. And to the graduating seniors in general ““ let’s just make sure to be humble and remember what it means to be a human being. I feel like this is the time when people can turn into a better person ““ or a monster.

Let’s boogie.

Seo was the Arts & Entertainment Radio editor for 2009-2010.