LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

One morning, I was carpooling to the Center for Media and Design and had to hop onto everyone’s favorite freeway, the 405. Unsurprisingly, it was morning rush hour, so the freeway was packed. Normally in a situation like this, I would get irritable and start complaining about the heavy traffic. This time was different. I felt unexpectedly calm, and I remember saying to myself, “at least the sun is not in my face.” Though it was something small, I realized in that moment that it wasn’t me talking — that was my best friend, shaping my perspective and encouraging me to have an optimistic approach to the obstacles in my life.

Throughout my time at SMC, I’ve faced a lot of challenges, as most students do; feelings of imposter syndrome, anxiety, and hopelessness in regards to finishing college. Sometimes, all it took to keep moving forward and stay motivated was talking to those around me, such as my best friend.

Even after a previous semester of being part of the Corsair, I still felt insecure about my writing, and only really felt comfortable with a copy editor reading it. During the fall I mainly wrote about sports, but I wasn’t confident about the quality of writing I was producing despite reassurance by other staff members.

At the beginning of this year in particular, I felt more lonely than ever. I had circumstances in my life that caused me to push everyone I cared about away, including that same best friend. These circumstances became more complicated when I started the spring semester as editor-in-chief. I was just really out of touch with what the role entailed and didn’t know how to be the leader that was expected of me.

A few weeks into this semester I had the opportunity to attend a journalism conference in San Francisco. The conference allowed me to immerse myself in the journalism world and get to know people with similar experiences. It helped me feel a little less alone knowing that there were others who understood what I was going through, and gave me a sense of confidence that I was previously lacking.

It carried over into the Corsair newsroom, in which some peers expressed they could see a change from how I started out the semester. That confidence also impacted my personal life. It started with little things, like feeling comfortable to finally order my own meals at restaurants. Eventually, I was able to hang out with some high school friends without being awkward the way I used to be.

Another thing that helped with my writing confidence is being editor-in-chief. People have approached me all semester asking for advice on how to write articles, and editors asking how to make edits on them. It makes me happy knowing that people felt comfortable approaching me for advice and I could guide them in the right direction.

Most importantly, talking and hanging out with my best friend again with that new sense of confidence helped me mend the friendship. I completely expected her to be angry, but she welcomed me back so easily, simply saying “at least you’re here now.” Her acceptance helped me grow into the person I am today. As a result, my confidence continued to grow and I began to feel more comfortable in the newsroom.

Having a lack of confidence is something everyone can relate to at some point, especially students. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay to not be perfect. There’s no such thing as the perfect leader, writer or student, but what’s important is that they persevere and keep trying their best. As long as someone is trying their best, that’s reason enough to be confident in whatever they go through and whatever comes their way.

Sasha Funes