Arek Sarkissian II

On June 27, I'll be turning myself in to the Pima county jail to serve time for three drunk driving arrests.

While the exact amount of time hasn't been determined, I'll be spending at least 2 months in the work-release program. I'll be allowed to attend classes and work for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. More time will follow pending sentencing for my third arrest in Pima County Superior Court.

During the course of my legal situation, I attended a rehabilitation center in British Colombia, committed to a 12-step recovery program and have been sober for more than nine months.

While letting total strangers in on my personal life wasn't the first thing on my mind when I was selected for the Summer Wildcat's top job, this lesson of being up front with readers is probably one of the most valuable. Now I understand what full disclosure really means, something I didn't know when my gig at the Arizona Daily Star was suddenly suspended.

Six months after my last arrest, I was selected for the summer internship at the Arizona Daily Star. However, I failed to tell them about my past.

"We've gotten around a lot of moguls with you, Arek, but this one we just can't," said Arizona Daily Star Assistant Managing Editor Dennis Joyce as he and Metro Editor Tim Konski were in the process of politely firing me.

I failed to tell editors at the Star during my interview process of my legal woes until the day I was indicted for my third arrest, which I thought was OK since they didn't ask. However, I was wrong.

"You may not have lied to them; you did everything but," said Journalism Professor Emeritus Jim Johnson days after my termination.

How true. In my pursuit of letting readers know how things in life should be, I forgot that being truthful doesn't always come with what I report.

Some may question the accuracy of the quotes I used. Thankfully, I'm not so obsessed with journalism that I take notes during my spare time but I'm confident in their accuracy. Some words said during my lifetime are burned into my brain. Knowing that I made a mistake by not informing them ahead of time put the integrity of Tucson's largest paper and my journalistic credibility at risk. I'm not about to do that again.

During my time as editor in chief, my staff will solely handle any story involving a drunken driving arrest. My influence on the coverage of any DUI story will be the same as a reader.

The Wildcat was my place to learn about journalism. The Star was my chance to use my experience in a career environment. However, I never learned how important it was to stay honest, not just with sources, not just with editors, but with the readers as well. It seems I've come back to the Wildcat to learn another great lesson.

It's funny how my rise to the top at the Wildcat and the final resolution to the three years of legal hell came at a time when graduation from the University of Arizona is only eight credits away. But perhaps this is the big finale, testing me on my commitment to journalism, my commitment to sobriety, and my commitment to accepting responsibility for my actions as an adult. Call me crazy, but I'm glad this all happened.