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Suzy Evans

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Daily Bruin Assistant A&E Editor

E-mail Evans at sevans@media.ucla.edu

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I almost applied to the Daily Bruin every quarter, until spring of my third year.

I’d go online, submit my profile – sometimes twice, due to my lack of faith in technology or if I forgot I already submitted it the first time. I wanted to write for Arts & Entertainment, but some quarters, I’d start an application for News or even Copy, if A&E wasn’t hiring.

But after a high school acquaintance who wrote for The Bruin told me that I had no chance of getting accepted in A&E, I couldn’t bring myself to take the time to write three sample pieces. I’d make excuses like “I don’t have time,” but the truth is, I didn’t think I was good enough.

I continued to put off this portion of my application until my third year. Around that time, the dreaded thought – what am I going to do with my life? – started to haunt me. And as an English student who knew I didn’t want to be a teacher, I was legitimately scared.

So I bit the bullet and finally applied, and to my great surprise, and elation, they took me. However, I developed a huge inferiority complex upon meeting the other writers, and I kept thinking that someone had made an awful mistake accepting me.

But after a while, the “you’re not good enough” voice started to disappear, and I began to gain confidence in my writing. I took pride in creating a strong lede or getting interesting quotes from a source, and the more free theater tickets I received, the more I thought, “This is something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.”

Then, by a twist of fate, I found myself as an assistant editor, a position I felt certain I didn’t deserve because I’d only been at The Bruin for a quarter and a half at the time. It all just seemed too good to be true.

But as corny as it sounds, I think everything happens for a reason. Who knows what would have happened had I started writing my first year instead of my third.

What I do know, though, is that I wouldn’t be anywhere if I didn’t take risks and believe in myself. That’s really what my time at The Bruin taught me. And I’ve already gotten this far so I have no plans of turning back now.