It all started when a simple, 15-minute zoom call led to one of the best decisions of my life. My freshman year was a rough one, and I was uncertain what I wanted to do with my career, but the passion for writing was always there.

I had scheduled an appointment, unbeknownst to me at the time, with the adviser of The Hornet publication, Jessica Langlois. When she pitched the newspaper to me, I was sold immediately and found my calling. Sometimes in life, you get a gut feeling, and this one was a great feeling.

The first day of class came, and I didn’t know what to make of it, but there was a great sense I made the right decision. It was where I would meet a group of people that impacted my life more than they could ever imagine, especially my two great friends who helped me tremendously in my time with the publication: my mentor, the current editor-in-chief Jake Rhodes and news editor Pedro Saravia.

The only feeling I can describe was eagerness during my first semester with the newspaper, and Pedro and I truly showed that. We were like the great duo of “Kobe and Shaq,” as I liked to call it.

A lot of memories were made and a lot of awards were won. I truly felt we revived the newspaper, and brought in its most successful run as a publication in a very long time. It all came together this past March. This time, we were both editors when the team took a trip down south to La Jolla. The Hornet was awarded one of the highest honors in journalism, an ACP Online Pacemaker.

There was a euphoric feeling about it. It was like winning a sports championship, a feeling I thought I could never capture, but I did that day. As a staff, we were tremendously proud, and it was a full circle moment for everyone involved. All our hard work together paid off in the end. I am forever thankful for my fellow editors and writers who were apart of the start of my journey in the journalism world.

Although there were many bumps and bruises along the way, there isn’t a thing I would change about my path. All good things do come to an eventual end, but it’s about what you make of it in the moment, as we all spread our wings and go down our own pathways. I hope we can all remember the memories we made together, and the time we spent together as a staff.

One last thank you, which is very much deserved, is to Jessica Langlois. Words can’t even describe how thankful I am for her. She is an amazing mentor, always had an answer for everything and she was not afraid to call you out on your stuff. That is something I deeply appreciated the most. The Hornet will always have a spot in my heart, because in the end, you truly never forget where you first started.

Sincerely,

Quinn Cisneros

Sometimes when I am in the newsroom and I am working on creating a story assignment, talking to Jake about upcoming news, or doing any diligences of mine, I ask myself, how did I end up here?

My first semester in journalism was not how I expected it to be. At first, I joined the magazine production class, without any idea of how that class worked. To be honest, it was the only publication class that fit into my schedule at the time. Right away, I found myself trying to find stories for Inside Fullerton magazine in a format that, although fun to do, was not what I wanted to focus on when I joined.

Getting my stories together was a struggle, and it always came down to being something I did not expect. As the semester came to an end, it was time to make a decision on what would follow.

Randomly, Jessica came to me one of those days during class, and suggested that I join The Hornet, saying that she saw a news reporter in me, and that the newspaper would be a better fit. That right there was the turning point in my decision.

Right after that, I literally jumped right into “my prime” if there is one. Authoring 23 pieces across all desks, and collaborating with stories such as the multiple award-winning softball Title IX investigation series with Jake and Quinn, were amazing moments that I will carry on in my career as a journalist going forward.

When Quinn jumped right in to making stories, that was a big motivation for me to not fall behind and start taking assigned stories that first semester. It was like we were both having a competition. However, we both won in the end, which granted us both spots on the editorial board.

Working alongside Jake and Sara to keep the newspaper rolling was nerve wracking, sometimes intense, but always fun to do, and Quinn would say the same if he was asked. From working to support our staff, editing stories, keeping and adjusting deadlines, you wouldn’t find any boredom in what we did.

I can say, for all of us, that our commitment was never in doubt, and being awarded nationally with the Online Pacemaker this semester is tremendous proof of that. Being apart of this amazing editorial team was more than an honor for me. They helped me become better as a journalist, even as a person, in thousands of ways. It is amazing how talented and great they are.

All of these great moments, receiving awards, some rough times, reporting, editing, assigning and much more as a Hornet member has come to an end, and none of these would have happened if Jessica did not suggest I join The Hornet.

There is no way to thank our mentor, Jessica, whom I will always admire as the person who taught me journalism and helped me build a path in this industry. All the amazing things we did here would have never been possible without her. She gave us the most amazing support, every single step of the way.

I hope this is not the last time I write for this newspaper, but as I move on from this team to join another, The Hornet will always have the best place in my memories.

Sincerely,

Pedro Saravia