Taylor Helmes served as assistant news editor and managing editor before taking the helm as the Bulletin’s Editor in Chief this semester. Photo by Jasmine Nguyen.
By Taylor Helmes, Editor in Chief
No matter how many times I began to type this letter, it seems that even I am unimpressed or unfulfilled with what I have to say. Who am I to say the “right thing”? Well, let me introduce myself then.
My name is Taylor Helmes, I’m a senior majoring in journalism and although I’ve only been at California State University, Dominguez Hills for a little less than two years, I have been able to find a community and a sense of belonging. I’m a first-generation college student (soon to be graduate) and a first-generation immigrant from Canada.
Before attending CSUDH I went to two different community colleges, one in Northern California and another in South Orange County. Like most transfer students here, it was an uphill battle to get where I am today. I didn’t always have a positive relationship with school and my education. Between misguided counselors and repeating classes, I was less than motivated to take my studies seriously.
That is until I reconnected with my creativity through writing and storytelling – two things a journalist does.
It’s been a year since I joined The Bulletin, and I started like any other student reporter, writing about events on campus, interviewing faculty and students for stories, but that quickly changed when the semester was interrupted by Ms. Rona. She didn’t scare me away from the paper though, in fact, this paper and the people behind it are what helped keep me going through last year.
2020 was a year full of turmoil, treachery, and tension. CSUDH has taken strides to support its community by loaning laptops to students and faculty to providing a COVID testing site. But sometimes we need less tangible support and more emotional and mental support. That would usually mean a hug or hanging out with friends could do the trick, but that’s not really possible nowadays. So, we had to learn how to establish and build relationships virtually.
Battling a deep depression and anxiety on top of the pandemic, virtual classes, and work exhausted me. Yet, I continued to show up for the paper and its people, as they showed up for me.
To be a part of a student-run, student-made newspaper that continued to run through a pandemic while students took online classes for what may have been their first time is what I’m most proud of. To now lead that same paper, with an additional Silver Medal under our belt, is the cherry on top of my seven-year journey towards earning my bachelor’s degree.
Last year The Bulletin released 14 issues, seven each semester. Then we decided to push for another five special editions on top. Every semester, The Bulletin and the team behind it strive to create engaging content for its readers. As the new staff joins us each semester, the paper evolves as well as the stories it shares. And yes, Baby Teddy will be gracing the pages once again. I don’t know who’s more excited for the return, the staff or the readers.
It’s a new year, a new semester, under a new president, with new knowledge, and now is the time to change and become anew. Sure it may be all talk, but there’s no time like the present.
I’m taking this year to propel my career as a journalist and recenter my intentions with what I want to create and share. It is my hope and dream that I can make a positive impact and share the stories of those who need to be amplified and heard.
