Sports writer gets started on career track

When you find out writing about a passion can lead to a career, you realize journalism is for you.

I began my journalism career during my second year of college, when I joined the Southwestern College newspaper The Sun at Southwestern College in Chula Vista.

Having been a four-year runner in high school, I used my experience to write about weekly Southwestern College cross-country meets. Cross-country came second nature to me, so writing about a hobby and seeing it published was thrilling. When track and field came in spring, athletes not only tore up the track with fast race times, but the track tore them up with injuries.

It’s fulfilling to write about what happens during a race because it is the most interesting part of a track story. A school record-breaking athlete who falls to the ground mid-race tearing open his knee makes a story great because it’s unanticipated.

It was even more exciting to write about the women’s cross-country team racing through the finish line to win the first state championship title in the history of Southwestern College.

During my second semester on The Sun, I was accepted at California State University, San Marcos, as an undergraduate transfer student pursuing a BA in communications.

I decided to take my writing to the next level and began interning at The Star-News. I chose The Star-News because they fit the needs of the South Bay by highlighting local athletes. I hope to hone my writing skills, gain experience and network.

My goal is to become an editor for a sports magazine such as Sports Illustrated or Runner’s World. Part of sports journalism is writing about athletes who use experiences like injuries and recovery as motivation to try harder.

Whether writing takes me to the heart of San Diego or across the country to New York, my possibilities are endless.