This week is the Reveille’s annual fundraiser week from April 7 to 13. To donate, go here.

I never thought I’d end up in Spokane, Washington. Where did I find myself two weeks ago? Spokane, Washington.

The Reveille has taken me places I could only dream of as a journalist; let alone a student journalist.

It started with making the trip to Dallas to cover LSU women’s basketball in the Final Four. With a win over Iowa, the program secured its first national title in Kim Mulkey’s second year in Baton Rouge.

Two months later, I found myself in Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series because I took the summer sports position for the Reveille.

I spent 12 days in Omaha, writing as much content as I could to make the most of the experience. I watched every single game from the press box, whether LSU was playing or not. It was a one-of-a-kind experience.

Most recently, I had three days to prepare for a trip to Washington; a state I had never been to before, and a state very far from Louisiana.

Me being a senior and having covered the women’s basketball team for four years, a trip like that at the time it came made perfect sense. It was a storybook ending for a storybook experience.

LSU fell to UCLA in the Elite Eight, marking my last game covering LSU women’s basketball.

Covering the women’s basketball program taught me so much. Whether it’s learning to love women’s college basketball, or realizing how powerful women are in sports, I wouldn’t have been able to learn or realize any of that without the Reveille.

I didn’t know the Reveille would change my life when I joined as a young freshman; a freshman with so much to prove and only a chance away from doing so.

The Reveille gave me that chance, and I’m so thankful that I made the most of it.

As my days with the Reveille are dwindling down, my goal is to notify as many people coming through it how it can change their lives as well.

It may not look exactly how it did for me, but if you work hard enough, and go in with an open mind and open heart, it can do so much for you.

It brings me joy when younger members ask me for advice, or ask for help, because I was once that writer that was eager to learn and get better. That remains the same, but I always jump at the opportunity to tell someone the things that I was told, because I wouldn’t be in my position without them.

Coming to LSU from Pennsylvania was daunting to me. So daunting that I almost transferred after my first semester here, meaning my Reveille experience wouldn’t have existed.

Four years later, the Reveille is a huge factor for the appreciation I have for LSU. It gave me experiences I will never forget, and confidence as a writer I hope I never lose.

I only hope the same for people who continue to come through the Reveille. Because if it can work out that way for me, it can work out that way for you.