I still remember standing at mid-field as USF Football celebrated its Boca Raton Bowl win over Syracuse.

Picture this scene: The crowd rushes to the field to surround the team and catch a glimpse of the Boca Raton Bowl trophy. “Go Bulls” echoed throughout the stadium, and green and gold confetti was everywhere.

I soaked it all in and three words entered my mind:

“Cherish this moment.”

Since May, I have served as sports editor for The Oracle. I heard stories about other editors that covered USF sports but they had way less confetti. They were never able to see this, or anything close to it for five years. 

It’s a moment I will remember forever.

As my tenure comes to a close, the significance of each passing moment — the last month, game, week, day, pitch meeting, press conference and story — becomes more pronounced. 

It’s hard to describe what reporting on USF Athletics for the past two years has meant to me.  

Since middle school, I have dreamed of being a sports reporter and documenting iconic moments. My favorite sports memory was watching the 2016 NBA Finals with my dad. I bet the Cleveland Cavaliers would beat the Golden State Warriors.

I won a neat pair of shoes after correctly predicting the first 3-1 comeback in NBA history. But more importantly, I found a genuine interest.

However, I didn’t fully realize this passion until I joined The Oracle in August 2022. I had zero writing experience at the time. 

I just knew two things: I liked sports and wanted to learn more about reporting.

I shadowed my editors, Lanie De La Milera and Hannah Halili, everywhere and tried to ask as many questions as possible. Seeing their drive inspired me. They supported me and helped my growth as a writer.

With each article I wrote, I realized something: I loved to tell stories, not only about games but also about different people and their communities.

I wrote a story about why certain softball players chose their jersey numbers. I also got to write about a women’s basketball player and her journey of overcoming injuries.

This desire deepened when I became an editor. I not only told my own stories but also helped writers tell theirs.

Seeing the ideas they pitched come to life was an honor and weekly meetings were an anticipated part of my routine.

During my tenure, I had the privilege of witnessing even more firsts similar to the Cavaliers’ comeback: USF’s first football bowl win in five years and men’s basketball’s first regular-season championship among other feats.

But for every monumental athletic achievement I witnessed as editor, the relationships I built in the newsroom rivaled them. My editors challenged me both as a leader and a writer. There were some (many) late editing nights, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

I can’t think of a more transformative experience than The Oracle. 

Reporting for The Oracle allowed me to be a part of something greater than myself. Most of the people I work alongside have gone from co-workers to lifelong friends.

I documented history in the same way I witnessed it growing up. It still blows my mind that maybe one day students might look back at our articles on these events.

During the summer, I will be interning for the Naples Daily News. I’ll get the chance to get to know and tell stories about a new community.

And now, much like the memory of watching the NBA as a kid, I get to look back at reporting on the Boca Raton Bowl. Nostalgia will echo harder than the “Go Bulls.”