My time at the Daily Bruin has been nothing short of wonderful.

I vividly remember the excitement that came with receiving my acceptance – a joy that only doubled when I was placed on the gymnastics beat and got the chance to immerse myself in a world I had spent so long admiring from afar.

But what brought me even deeper into the Bruin was becoming an assistant Sports editor this year.

And yes, my experience came with many late nights writing, rushing stories to Copy and checking CQs.

But those are not the memories that will linger in the years to come.

It will be all the other good times.

Like when I stepped into Pauley Pavilion to write my first-ever gymnastics wrap with my legendary editor Aaron, feeling the overwhelming and electrifying energy marked by crowds of young girls waiting to catch a glimpse of Jordan Chiles. Bedazzled leotards reflected under the lights and music boomed from the speakers.

Or when I sat in the pouring rain with Alex as she wrote the breaking story for the first round of the women’s soccer NCAA tournament. Armed with a pair of umbrellas, her Google Drive open on her phone and a dream, we watched as the athletes played something closer to water polo than soccer on the drenched field.

And when I reluctantly volunteered to edit the Penn State football wrap – a game I predicted we would lose 55-6, to be clear – only for Connor and I to spend the afternoon shooting each other incredulous looks as the Bruins defeated the Nittany Lions and delivered the sole shining moment of an otherwise dreary campaign.

I’ll remember the night I went glorified dumpster diving with other members of UCLA Athletics after the clock nearly struck midnight following a gymnastics meet, prowling the upper deck of Pauley Pavilion for unsold boxes of soft pretzels while my writer worked to finish a story – and yes, we found some to eat.

Or the 5 a.m. ride I took on the Blue Line of the Chicago L following my three-hour red-eye to cover the Big Ten championship, before Shiv, Zimo and I traversed the Chicago Riverwalk in 45-degree weather as the sun came up.

And then afterward – once UCLA won the conference championship, Chiles nabbed yet another perfect 10 and everything had gone almost perfectly – when the athletes and journalists cleared out and I had State Farm Center nearly to myself, sitting in the quiet grandeur and enjoying the aftermath.

I’ll reminisce about when my contributor – and now assistant Sports editor – Kate grabbed the microphone to ask Chiles a question at her first-ever press conference, something I never would have had the guts to do when I was a contributor. I’ll never forget realizing at that moment that the beat would be in perfect hands next year.

And following the devastating elimination of UCLA gymnastics from the NCAA championships, Zimo, Nora and I turned the day into something positive by taking a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. This transformed what otherwise would have been a day spent wallowing into a genuinely delightful memory.

And last but not least, the inevitable moment when every one of my sports was prematurely eliminated from its respective postseason – which hurt just as badly the fourth time with women’s golf as it did the first with women’s soccer. The Slack channel came alive one last time with a chorus of melancholy remarks, because while we may have all been in despair, at least we were in it together.

These memories – alongside countless others – would never have been possible without the phenomenal Sports editors I worked alongside, every one of my writers and every person who touched my journey at the Bruin. You have all made a lasting impact on my life and for that I will be eternally grateful.

I will forever miss the wonderful magic my life became this year.

Dunderdale was an assistant Sports editor 2025-26 and a Sports contributor 2024-25.