I almost didn’t submit my application to the Daily Bruin Sports section. And I didn’t even know what a student journalist was until I became one.

I spent my first two years at UCLA honing in on my skills as a pre-medicine student. I earned leadership positions with UCLA Club Sports, I did exercise physiology research and I knocked out the prerequisites for medical school.

I never planned on getting involved in journalism, but when I learned about the Daily Bruin Sports section at the beginning of my junior year, for some reason I couldn’t resist applying.

I easily had the worst interview of my life for The Bruin, and I’ve never felt so nervous for an interview. It felt like a leap of faith, but if I had gotten rejected, I don’t think I would have cared.

Little did I know what would come of that interview – where my face was tomato red and I couldn’t find the right words to answer basic questions about myself. I spent the next two years fully immersing myself into this newspaper, taking every opportunity that presented itself to me and fighting for new ones.

The most defining part of my Daily Bruin experience was my time as an assistant Sports editor. Being tasked with being the gymnastics editor was something I was excited for and looked forward to, but I knew I had big shoes to fill from Ben Royer.

It was challenging yet rewarding, and I thank Ben for all the guidance he gave me during my first year. I wouldn’t be where I am without having had him as my editor.

Covering UCLA gymnastics was truly a pinch-me moment during my time at The Bruin. And at UCLA, gymnastics quickly became my entire life. It turned into an extracurricular activity, multiple leadership positions and then eventually my job. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

But this paper expanded my horizons to more than what I thought I was capable of. I never thought I’d be writing about football, basketball or really any other sport than gymnastics – but I had some of the best times of my life doing so. I learned so much, and I am so grateful for every opportunity I had to cover sports here at UCLA.

Sports have always been something I’ve been passionate about, and the main reason I loved UCLA was because of its storied athletics. Watching the Bruins win the 2018 NCAA gymnastics championship turned moving to Westwood into a dream that I’d never thought would turn into reality.

Seven years later, I am graduating from my dream school. But I couldn’t have done it without the village that shaped me into the person I am today.

Thank you to my editor Ben for teaching me what I needed to know to get started. I would not have applied for an editorship role without him, and I am grateful to have crossed paths with someone as legendary as him.

To Genevieve Trimbell, thank you for pushing me to apply when I was on the fence. I would have never expected that your encouragement would have played such a big part in getting me here.

To my fellow class of editors from the 2024-2025 cohort, it was a pleasure to work alongside you this year. I am eternally grateful for all the memories we made together and for helping Kerckhoff 118 become home for me.

And to my family, thank you for getting me through these past four years.

As I leave UCLA and The Bruin, I am excited for what is next. And I am forever grateful that this paper was a part of my story.

Doyle was an assistant Sports editor 2024-2025 and a sports contributor and reporter 2023-2024.