I have no recollection of why I decided to join the Daily Bruin. But for whatever reason, my sophomore self decided to stick to applying, and I thank her for it.

I’ve always loved writing. Plain and simple. I knew I wasn’t the best at it, but I did give myself the occasional pat on the back. But the most humbling experience was receiving my first article back from a round of edits. I contemplated whether I was a good fit for the paper while looking at the several yellow highlights.

Once I soothed the bruise to my ego, I dedicated my time to being better.

I hadn’t intentionally joined the men’s water polo beat. I remember Benjamin Royer sending me a message on Slack to ask if I was interested because I wasn’t writing until the tennis season began. I then opened my laptop and googled what water polo was. While very hesitant and completely unfamiliar, I said yes. It was a great decision because it allowed me to view one of the best shows of athleticism I’d ever seen, and I had the Benjamin Royer as an editor.

I always enjoyed reading his articles, completely in awe of how he kept his writing so engaging regardless of the match’s outcome. How could a person take you from the stands to the field through words? His articles felt like a first-person viewpoint of the players’ experience of the match rather than just a summary of what happened. I am very lucky to have had the chance to work with him. So, it’s only right that my first “thank you” goes to him. Thank you, Ben, for making me a better writer.

The first time I felt proud of my writing was during my first season with the team. It definitely helped that the water polo team was undefeated for the entirety of the regular season. But covering in person truly transformed my experience at The Bruin. I got to witness Jack Larsen almost beating the record for number of goals in a match during Adam Wright’s tenure as head coach. I saw Rafael Real Vergara land a goal on their opponent from the other side of the pool. I thought this was as good as it was going to get. But it got a whole lot better the following year when Ryder Dodd joined the team. Fresh off winning a medal in Paris with the United States Olympic team and ready to make his presence known, Ryder gave me a front-row seat to a world-class level performance.

My favorite article was my weekend coverage of the matches against Pepperdine and Air Force. It was the first lede I was proud of, and it landed on the top of the sports section. I’ll be honest, it was hard not to let it get to my head.

The women’s team was nothing short of mind-blowing. Lauren Steele made it her personal mission to make my jaw drop. I thank Felicia Keller for being my editor and showing me how to stay sharp under pressure.

My two seasons of covering the men’s tennis team were definitely memorable. I remember interviewing head coach Billy Martin and just knowing this would be my favorite beat yet. Throughout the two years, I loved seeing everything boil down to a single court. My favorite memory from the first season was seeing Spencer Johnson play against Harvard, with the fate of the team resting on his shoulders for the second time that season. I caught myself almost falling off the bench from anticipation. Undoubtedly impressed but not at all surprised by his win, I made sure to translate the satisfaction he had during his interview into words.

And for my last tennis article, I got to experience that all over again. It was the first time the team made it that far in the season in years. The match was at home versus USC, so it felt 10 times more intense. When everything came down to Johnson and Rudy Quan, I stuck to the back courts because regardless of the outcome, I wanted my last minutes in tennis to be like my first.

That day will forever be my favorite team win and the most bittersweet ending.

Reflecting on the first sport I covered, I’d like to thank the women’s rowing team for bearing with my amateur questions and consistently giving great quotes. I can’t imagine how it felt to answer “How’s the team building their chemistry?” over and over again.

And of course, to Rahaf Abumansour – who was a friend before the paper, a best friend during and a sister after (because you’re stuck with me) – I am forever thankful that we were on this journey together. We were never on the same beat, but we made sure to come to each other’s games as if the other were on the field. I’ll forever miss being each other’s biggest supporter on this journey. If I could do this all over again, I would if it meant I’d have you by my side.

But I can’t end this article without thanking my first-ever advocate. To mama, who kept every letter and ridiculous note I’ve written, thank you for showing me my writing meant something.

Tuker was Sports staff 2024-2025, a Sports reporter 2023-2024 and an Opinion columnist and Sports contributor 2022-2023.