I never thought the end would come so quickly, but here it is. I spent a lot of this semester looking back at where I started — unsure of what I was going to do after college, unsure if I was going to find my place at Texas State and very unsure of what an AP Stylebook even was. This semester, it finally felt like all of the sleepless nights and long production days were worth it, as everything I wanted to accomplish before graduation came to fruition.
My one goal in life is to help people. Hints on how I would accomplish my goal started at 8 when I would sneak pieces of scrap paper off my dad’s desk to write a story. At 10, I decided to put my blabber mouth to use as a host of the morning announcements. Then, at 11 I became obsessed with bringing my storybook pages to life through making short films.
The biggest hint came from Professor Laurie Fluker, who said something along the lines of “if you want to make it in the journalism industry in Texas, you have to join student media like The University Star or KTSW and learn how to speak Spanish.”
Even with a last name like Nuñez, I’m unfortunately still working on that last one, but I did join the life and arts section at The Star in October 2021.
At The Star, I found a way to accomplish my life goal. It all started with one of the first feature stories I ever wrote. My hands practically dripped with sweat, and my voice was as unsteady as ever. I sat in the parking lot of the business I was covering an hour before the interview even started. But once I stepped inside, everything changed.
After the story was published, I dropped off a few paper copies. The owner hugged me tightly and showered me with many thanks.
After that, I continued to see ‘thank yous’ in many forms as I grew at The Star. As life and arts editor, I saw thank-yous through performances by local drag queens who feared for their jobs during the push for the drag ban in Texas. As editor-in-chief, I saw them in the comment section of Instagram, about a controversial demonstration on campus and in the tears on parents’ faces after a false shooting threat at a local high school. I became empowered by my community members, who began to seek truth through The Star, and I felt as if I had finally found my purpose in life.
On this journey, there are so many people I couldn’t have done it without.
Thank you to Krantz for being a guiding light, giving me countless pieces of advice on more than just what was going into the paper on Tuesday. Thank you to Professor Gilbert Martinez and Professor Kelly Kaufhold for your constant guidance and support throughout my time at Texas State.
To Blake, thank you for being the best right-hand man a girl could ask for. The Star is in good hands. To SJHernan15 for hiring and believing in me, especially when there were only the two of us in the Life and Arts section. And to my Mom and Dad for y’all’s constant encouragement.
And finally, as editor-in-chief, I was blessed with the best team. An experience that still stands out to me was attending CMA with Blake. We went to an editor’s roundtable where we listened to other schools talk about their challenges. Some newsrooms were struggling with staffing, others with reporters not meeting deadlines. Thanks to the editorial board this year, those major problems weren’t ours anymore.
Our biggest conversation wasn’t about fixing broken systems but instead about how to grow and add to what was already working. That moment for me was a reflection of my greatest strength: my team.
Without the current and previous editors and leaders at The Star, none of what I accomplished would have been possible. Because we were in such a good place, I had the space to think about the future.
Overall, this experience had its ups and downs like every newsroom does, but through it all, I had so much fun. The Star gave me more than just experience; it gave me a clear sense of purpose. Walking across the stage next week, I know what I am doing after college. I found my place at Texas State and I’m very sure of what an AP Stylebook is and I’ll always be grateful to The Star for helping me find that.
