math was involved, I decided to hone in on writing. It was my second semester at East Los Angeles College and I was taking a history class when the professor asked us to stand up and talk about our majors. A classmate stood up and The struggles and successes I endured before talked about being a journalism becoming a Long Beach Shark. major and I was instantly intrigued. by Andrew Ayala Journalism, I soon realized, is very versatile. There are magazines, journals and newspapers on subjects like entertainment, medicine and one of my personal passions, video games. Even after years of receiving Game Informer magazines in the mail, there was still a lot I had to learn about journalism. The following summer I did some research and took a digital media class with a friend. I embarked on a new chapter of my life; it felt like I found a piece of myself and I was ready to do whatever it took to write and get published. My journalism professor and adviser Jean Stapleton eventually appointed me as an editor to our campus publication and I felt like a guppy in a pond. our years at a junior colnights, early mornings, bus rides, I was the new arts editor in lege felt like a lifetime and a lot of caffeine and not a lot of a room full of people I only met now two virtual semesters sleep were huge parts of my life the semester before, but the staff at a university feel like one. as a journalism major. always made sure to guide me My college experience was I originally was going to down the right path. definitely an interesting one and school for business management, This is where I learned what I’m sure many can relate. Long but after realizing how much teamwork really meant. How the
My Journey to Long Beach State
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PHOTO BY ANDEW AYALA
