More than just the camera girl

home, and soon enough, Scott would be too. That day, I raced back to my dorm after learning to use one of our massive 300mm lenses for the first time and stayed up all night editing my photos. As I sat in my lofted bed with nothing but the fairy lights along the wall and computer screen lighting up my face, I knew this was what I wanted to be doing.

I never thought that telling my mom stories in the backseat of her car driving home from kindergarten would lead to an entire career, from my high school yearbook classroom, to The Cavalier Daily office in the basement of Newcomb, which ultimately turned into the studios of ESPN.

I started my first year with a plan — albeit a loose, undecided-major plan. But a plan to find a STEM major, discover an area of research that struck a chord and slide on the greased path all the way to a career. Join the ranks of female scientists or engineers, as my parents suggested. Many students have similar experiences, because up until this point education has been an assembly line. Get these grades to get into that school. Take these courses to take those courses.

In the twist you never expected, things did not go as planned. The approaching deadline to pick a major spiraled into “maybe I could study biochemistry” — indecision should’ve been my first clue — and then “I’ll just settle for what I already have the most credits for,” which was Cognitive Science. This degree made sense given logistics and my aforementioned plan, but just because it worked did not mean it was completely right. I stuck with it, making sure my previous course work went toward something, but it felt like a detour. I had to take

I love repeating this to every interviewer because it tells them about my passion, but also reminds me when I got my spark — through The Cavalier Daily.

The Cavalier Daily was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me access to the field, court, and press conferences. You could find me on the field of Scott or the court of John Paul Jones on any given day. The basement of Newcomb, JPJ, Scott and Klöckner Stadium also became my homes. And quicker than I realized, the people of The Cavalier Daily became my family.

But it was more than these places, it was about the people I shared them with. I can’t count how many hours I spent with people on staff at The Cavalier Daily. Beyond the meetings and print nights until 2 a.m., picking fonts and photos and moving pixels until my head hurt – I found myself going on walks with Jenn Brice, taking naps on Zack Pasciak’s couch and bothering Ankit Agrawal while he did very important Commerce things. I would sit on the Lawn every day for weeks with Eva Surovell and consume endless amounts of queso with Ava Proehl and Dom Fini. I hung out with Ava MacBlane at a cappella concerts and taught Ethan Fingerhut what long exposure meant. This would translate into larger moments too, like when Jenn came to visit me in Los Angeles and we flew up to see Ankit in San Francisco, or when I visited Zack in New York, Ava and I traveled to Chicago, and Eva and I went to Miami. But my favorite memory of all was when Eva and I made

I never thought that telling my mom stories in the backseat of her car driving home from kindergarten would lead to an entire career.”

Jenn and Zack build forts with us in the office until we all fell asleep watching “Little Women.”

I’ve hated writing this. Not because I prefer taking photos but because it has made me so sad to be leaving — while I am so happy to be leaving that dark and cold basement of Newcomb, I am not ready to leave the people. I chose this University because everyone here is so passionate and cares so much about everything they’re doing. Thank you to everyone who has made me feel like more than just “the camera girl.”