Illustration by Cody Angell

In my bedroom sits a stack of Arizona Daily Wildcats halfway up to the ceiling ÷ every issue my byline has ever appeared in. Next to it lies a year-and-a-half timeās bundle of reporterās notebooks from interviews, meetings and election results.

When I showed up for my first day on the job as a reporter I was nervous, confused and excited, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Along the way, however, as I evolved from rewriting press releases about construction projects to dissecting UAās $1 billion budget, I met with some of the most interesting and powerful people on campus.

UA freshmen learn quickly that the Wildcat is a part of the day-to-day life of this campus; but what keeps the presses rolling? The reporters.

The life of a reporter, even a student journalist, can be overwhelming, but the experiences are memorable and the power, important.

I remember running to the student union at 9:30 the night before the last day of student elections to confirm the ousting of a candidate from the ballot.

After throwing rocks at the windows of the second floor student government offices, which were locked up like a fortress, I learned the tip was false.

It was, but a candidate had been fined after her campaign manager had torn down another candidateās flyer.

The event seemed trivial, but the situation taught me a lot about my job.

For one, it was difficult to write an objective article, which eventually shone negatively on the candidate I voted for.

And also, that doing my job and writing the story meant that I was exerting influence on the results of the student election.

Intentional or not, influence over campus issues and opinion often settles on the backs of relatively new reporters.

I remember pride in my job was reinforced when, the day after an in-depth story of mine on the effects of statewide budget cuts ran on the Wildcatās front page, my political science class broke into heated, educated discussion on the issue.

I sat back and listened, confident in my objective reporting and resolved in the realization that students do indeed read about campus news, including budget issues ÷ a notion that had long been debated in the newsroom.

I remember listening to concerns from Middle Eastern students in the days and weeks following Sept. 11. Their concerns illustrated to me the frustration they felt as they yearned to trumpet their patriotism and support for America, while battling the skeptics who believed some were harboring terrorist views.

But I also remember the hundred or so students and Tucsonans who made their way up ćAä Mountain to paint the noticeable ćAä red, white and blue, an expression that America would survive.

But the job is not always romantic or exciting. A large part of it is working with administrators or public relations experts who are not always completely candid.

It is often frustrating and disheartening to sit with someone who holds the information you need to write an informative story, and be spun through a tunnel of vague and translucent rhetoric.

And sometimes itās the job of a journalist to call an official on that rhetoric ÷ and, believe it or not, they respond. A good journalist can build a relationship of trust with his readers and his sources.

I have been called confused, persistent and out of line by some of the more influential figures on this campus.

I hope that those same people realize the importance of this newspaper, and the effort that journalists endure ÷ even though we may sometimes make mistakes.

And ultimately, I hope that students, faculty, staff, administrators and the rest of this campus utilize the Wildcat for staying informed on campus.

The Wildcat reporters are waiting to listen to you.