I took a leap at the end of my freshman year at LSU.

I applied to be a sports reporter for the Reveille without a clue of what that would entail. In the semesters that followed, I would travel places, cover events and meet people I would have never believed possible.

I traveled over 1,700 miles in 2025 with the Reveille, and it was all because of the money we raise this one week a year.

Last spring, I was afforded my first opportunity to travel and cover a major event.

After a season of covering gymnastics, my beat partner and I, along with a photographer, made the trip out to Birmingham, Alabama, for the SEC Championships. We covered every angle of LSU’s conference title win and came back to Baton Rouge with a new experience under our belts.

At the time, I thought that would be the highlight of my work with the Reveille. But that summer, the Reveille took another chance on me.

I was working as a member of our summer staff, getting to experience postseason baseball from Alex Box. Before I could fully comprehend it, LSU had clinched a spot in the College World Series and was headed to Omaha. That meant I was, too. Four days later, I was on a plane to Nebraska.

Our team of student media spent 12 days at Charles Schwab Field, living and breathing college baseball. Most days, we were the first reporters to arrive and the last to leave, oftentimes late into the next morning. It was a dream come true for all of us, and we soaked up every minute of LSU’s undefeated run.

From an overnight weather delay and the infamous Jell-O shot challenge to a Jared Jones walk-off for a spot in the finals and the national championship-winning Game 2 against Coastal Carolina. It was the experience of a lifetime.

A new semester rolled around, and fall meant football.

I spent many Saturday nights in the Death Valley press box, and when the time came, we gathered a small team to make the trip out to Tuscaloosa for LSU versus Alabama. The Tigers didn’t bring back the win, but the experience was a victory in my books, along with helping lead coverage of the historic firing of Brian Kelly and hiring of Lane Kiffin.

These experiences have not only advanced my career, but are stories I’ll tell for the rest of my life. I’m forever grateful I took that leap two years ago, and I’ll never be able to repay the Reveille for believing in me.

Now, I’m trying to give those same opportunities to our dedicated team of reporters, many of whom trade in their weekends for long nights in press boxes, doing what they love.

That all relies on the generosity of others, though. Which is why I’m asking for your support of our mission and to take a chance on student journalism this week. Please consider donating to our fundraiser, because it could change lives — I’m proof of that.