The journey is the reward

For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to do in life and no idea how college would help me figure it out. I didn’t have the most straight-line path in pursuing higher education but then again, most of life is never going to be a direct path. But what I’ve learned in the last few years of being back in college is that the journey is the reward.

People will think that they’ve made it when they’ve gotten to the end of the rainbow and found the pot of gold. But to me, that seems like a dangerous tactic in life. All of us possess an aspect of creativity and will always find a new way to do something, a more dynamic way to share what our intricate minds come up with.

Our goal as a newspaper is to make something wonderful. Something that keeps a more informed public. One of the most rewarding times of my life is being surrounded by such like-minded individuals where we come together and create. I encourage each and every one of you, to keep looking for that great work. To keep telling stories that move people, to keep seeking the truth and to keep shining a light on the darkness. Because that’s what we do.

There will be days when it all feels like too much. When the weight of the world sits heavy on our shoulders. When we question if what we do matters at all. And on those days, I want you to remember something:

You are not alone.

You are part of a community of storytellers, truth-seekers, and world-changers. And even when it

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Christal Gaines-Emory Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

Kristina Agresta Business Manager business@gobeach.media

Leila Nunez Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@daily49er.com

Kristina Agresta Managing Editor managing@daily49er.com feels like the world is against us, we have each other.

So I want you all to think back on these last nine months when you begin to wind down, know or figure out what you’re going to do next year and begin to have a strong intuition about the world you will encounter in life.

Maybe you see yourself immersed deep in your Latinx culture and storytelling the voices that go unheard. Maybe you’re photographing some of the most important moments that history will ever remember. Maybe you’re on the other side of the country, walking on a cobblestone street, the sound of Fenway Park roaring in the distance. Maybe you’re in a different country, expanding your editing skills and discovering that new After Effects plug-in.

Steve Jobs once said, “To be a creative person, you need to feed or invest in yourself by exploring uncharted paths that are outside the realm of your past experience.”

I challenge everyone to reach beyond what you think you’re capable of and stay in pursuit of your

Land acknowLedgment dreams. Think outside of the box.

I’ve met a lot of different people in my walk of life so far and what’s stood out to me the most is that you can’t plan to meet the people who will change your life.

It’s hard to say goodbye to the people we admire deeply, even when we know we’ll see them again soon. Your strength, intelligence, and perseverance have always inspired me, and I am grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to learn and grow together.

As we all say our farewells for now, know that I will carry your lessons with me always, and that I will continue to draw inspiration from your example.

Until our paths cross again, know I deeply appreciated and admire you all.

Richie Rodriguez Community Engagement Manager

Here at the 49er we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.

We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.

We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs continue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relationship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.

Hannah Shields News Editor news@daily49er.com

Kadie Gurley Arts & Life Editor arts@daily49er.com

Georgie Smith Opinions Editor opinions@daily49er.com

Matthew Gomez Sports Editor sports@daily49er.com

Gisele Robinett Creative Director design@daily49er.com

Chief Copy Editor

Photo Editor

Social Media Editor

Rosaura Montes

Sam Farfan Special Projects Editor

Sonny Tapia

Maureen Linzaga

Luke Wines Video Editor

Podcast Editor

Public Relations Editor

Community Engagement Editor

Editors AssistAnts

News Assistant

Isabel Silagy

Kaitlyn Rowell

Richie Rodriguez

Jaylen Minnich

Arts Assistants Stacey Chen

Andrea Lopez

Opinions Assistant El Nicklin

Nicholas Broadhead

Sports Assistants

Graphic Design Assistants

Copy Editor Assistants

Photo Assistants

Emmanuel Barrera

Naoki Gima

Jasmine Lee

Luis Castilla

Kimberly Estrada

Renzo Pocasangre

Armando Jacobo

Social Media Assistants Ani Gutierrez

Montse Palmerin

Video Assistants Tatiahna Bentley

Podcast Assistants

Ella McDonald

Lei Madrigal

Andy Nguyen

Aidan Swanepoel

BusinEss

Purva Rao Advertising Manager advertising@gobeach.media

Jasmine Lee Creative Director creative@gobeach.media

Leila Nunez Web & Technology Manager web@gobeach.media

Kaitlyn Rowell PR & Promotions Manager

PR.49@gobeach.media

Jesse Kalamian Distribution Manager

Jazmin Gallardo distribution@gobeach.media

Jacob Mitchell Distribution Analyst distribution@gobeach.media

AdvisErs

Gary Metzker Design Adviser

Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Content Adviser

Jennifer Newton Advertising & Business Adviser

Letters Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily Forty-Niner reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily Forty-Niner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.