The ASUCLA Communications Board appointed Enterprise editor Lex Wang as editor in chief of the Daily Bruin for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Wang, a third-year history and political science student, joined the Daily Bruin in 2021 as an intern for The Quad, the paper’s explanatory journalism section. She was the Opinion editor during the 2022-2023 school year and is currently the editor of the Daily Bruin’s Enterprise section, which is responsible for investigative journalism. Wang has also served on the paper’s editorial board for two academic years.

Wang received the Daily Bruin staff endorsement during the annual staff-wide editor in chief hearing Saturday. The Communications Board, which consists of student appointees, university faculty, alumni representatives and other professional members, formally appointed Wang to the role Monday.

Members of the board said they chose Wang due to her technical skills and leadership abilities. Sylvia Robledo, a professional member of the board, said she was excited about Wang’s commitment to ensuring the Daily Bruin reflects the diversity of the UCLA campus.

Kristen Weiss, the chair of the Communications Board, said the Board also admired Wang’s resilience in seeking the position a second time after failing to receive the appointment last year.

“We thought the ability to persevere and come back stronger and better was something very admirable,” said Weiss, a second-year political science student.

Wang, a Palo Alto local, said she participated in environmental activism and research during high school. Her journalism career began by joining The Bruin during her first year at UCLA, she said. Wang added she quickly found a community and love for writing for the paper.

“The Daily Bruin has really just been my home,” she said. “It’s been so important to me to be able to grow alongside all of these people I care about to get to where I am today.”

Wang said one of her goals as editor is to improve staff retention while also promoting the mental health of staff members. She added that she also hopes to diversify the paper’s staff and coverage.

“I do want to make sure next year we ensure a wide range of perspectives and experiences are represented and included in our coverage and in our newsroom,” she said. “I would like to see us be able to be as inclusive as we possibly can.”

Isabelle Friedman, the current editor in chief, said she has worked with Wang in Wang’s role as Enterprise editor and on the Daily Bruin editorial board. Friedman, who graduated in winter quarter, added that Wang’s constant positivity, even when receiving constructive criticism, makes her a great fit for the role.

Wang is an Arts and Quad staff writer and contributes to the Copy, Design, News, Photo, Sports and Video sections. Friedman said Wang’s experience in several sections is one of her strengths.

“She’s one that will make sure that voices of editors and all the contributors in the paper will feel heard,” Friedman said. “She does a really great job of trying to understand all the different sections of the paper.”

Nayvelin Zambada, a third-year psychology student who has been friends with Wang since her first year at UCLA, said she admires Wang’s self-awareness and humility.

“She knows where she goes wrong, the things she does wrong and the things she does right, always willing to own up to it,” she said. “I don’t think she’s the type of person who would think of herself above the other people in DB just because she’s an EIC. Everyone deserves the same respect, in her eyes.”

As she prepares to become editor in chief, Wang said her focus remains serving the UCLA community as best as possible.

“I wanted to be able to help develop that, be able to help the paper succeed further than it’s ever succeeded before,” Wang said.