Everyone has a different interpretation of what Fresno means to them. Some see it as a place to grow before leaving for bigger cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco. But for me, Fresno can be defined by one word: home.
I have been fortunate to call Fresno home for the past 22 years. That’s why I’m so excited to begin my post-college career here at Business Journal.
I know there are thousands of people who love Fresno and the Central Valley as much as I do, and being able to tell their stories is so humbling and I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity. you can’t.
But until I graduated from Fresno State this spring as the third generation in my family to graduate from Fresno State University, I only thought of Fresno as a place to grow up before leaving for a bigger city.
Throughout all four years of high school, Fresno State was not my first choice. For a long time, I wanted to go to San Francisco State. The university itself wasn’t anything special, but the idea of living in a big city was appealing.
But a month after receiving my acceptance letter to San Francisco State University, COVID-19 struck and my high school senior year was wiped out.
Because there was so much uncertainty about what the future held, I decided to stay home and attend Fresno State University.
Although I was initially disappointed in not leaving home, the decision to attend Fresno State turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
Like many students entering university, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I began majoring in business with the intention of pursuing a career in sports marketing.
After my freshman year, which was all virtual due to the pandemic, I changed my major to Media, Communication, and Journalism (MCJ) before taking the plunge and even taking business classes.
When I was a sophomore, I still didn’t know if I was on the right path. But toward the end of that academic year, I received an email from one of my professors inviting me to join Fresno State’s award-winning student-published newspaper, The Collegian.
I accepted his invitation and spent my last four semesters at the university, where I made some of my favorite memories. Before joining the company, I felt like I was just treading water. I was studying just enough to pass my classes, and I didn’t feel like I was having an enjoyable university life.
When I first started as a contributor, all I wanted to do was write about sports. I grew up going to Fresno State football games with my family and am an avid fan of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Sharks, and Golden State Warriors, but to be honest, I have no interest in anything outside of sports. It was.
I remember being very scared nearly two years ago when I went to cover a non-sports event for the first time. Even though I was a student running an event, I was very afraid of approaching people I didn’t know and talking to them.
In just over three semesters, I went from being afraid to write about anything other than sports to writing an opinion piece about how Fresno State could be more proactive when it comes to drunk driving.
But the most important thing I learned at Fresno State was how much I truly love Fresno. I take great pride in what I like, and considering that I ignored Fresno State when I applied to colleges in 2019, I’m very proud of the things I love about Fresno State, and I’m very proud of the fact that I ignored Fresno State when I applied to colleges in 2019. It was an eye-opening experience to meet them.
After graduation, I spent the summer in Pasadena for an internship with the university’s summer league baseball team. I loved the two months I spent in Pasadena and exploring Southern California, but it wasn’t Fresno. It wasn’t home.
I love Fresno, but I don’t plan on living here forever and would love the opportunity to cover a professional sports team when I grow up.
But one thing is for sure: No matter where I end up, there’s only one place I’ll truly call home: Fresno.
