I was very hesitant to write this letter because I’ll never forget that in one of my first journalism lessons in Colombia, the professor kept repeating: “Journalists are never the news. We are never in the spotlight.” But in this case, I felt the need to say goodbye properly and thank you.

Three years ago, I transferred to FAU from Colombia, eager to internationalize everything I had learned in almost four years of university there and a study abroad semester in Spain. But when I first stepped foot on campus, I realized I was going to go through it all from the ground up. And this time, far from home and in a second language.

I had a whole new world in front of me. As exciting as it seemed, I was full of fear. I knew “how to be a journalist in Spanish,” so I thought, okay, now I just need to translate everything – and that’s it.

I remember the first time I went to a UP meeting. I was nervous, scared, almost shaking. I would ask people to repeat what they said two or three times because I couldn’t fully understand. I’d look up words on the internet as people were talking to me, and I was so afraid to ask questions or participate.

I knew I knew English. I had been studying in bilingual institutions my whole life. But the process was far from “translating it all,” and that’s it.

As time passed, I started taking stories as a contributing writer. I still remember my first two being basically destroyed – full of edits and comments. I’d search on the internet: What is a Board of Trustees? What is passive voice? What does student government do at a public university?

I was overwhelmed most of the time, and I would also ask myself…didn’t I already know how to be a journalist? I can’t lie; it was a very humbling experience.

I learned through the people at the UP, my advisors, and through the long edits in my Google Drive what all of these things were. I wasn’t familiar with any of it; I didn’t know the system. I was a complete foreigner.

As time passed and I started taking leaps of faith – just throwing myself in and learning about this new world – I became more comfortable and more confident. I would spend a little more time in the newsroom, participate more and contribute with ideas. I won’t lie; it was still very intimidating to me. All I kept thinking was, “I hope I didn’t make any mistake with the sentence I just said.”

And even though I thought I was “learning how to be a journalist in English,” what I was really doing was falling in love – with the culture, with the people, with the system. I was finally feeling butterflies in my stomach and realizing that everything I dreamed about being as a journalist I was already doing.

I got the opportunity to meet amazing people from many diverse backgrounds. I started making connections, learning from other students, asking them questions, and opening myself up.

Within one year, I didn’t feel like an outsider anymore. I began feeling a sense of belonging, a place where I wanted to be where I was able to learn and to make mistakes. The UP was one of the biggest foundations of my whole journey in the U.S. What I thought was going to teach me how to translate my articles into English ended up being a big part of why I fell in love with my profession – and the possibilities in this country.

So now that it is time to say goodbye, I leave with a smile and a feeling of profound gratitude. I did it! We did it! Three years of growth, of lessons, of adventures, of connections – of growth.

I started as a contributing writer, then staff writer, news editor, both news and student life editor, and editor-in-chief for the past year. What a beautiful way to end my journey at this amazing place. I look back, and sometimes, it’s still hard to believe how much things have changed.

To my amazing staff – thank you. Thank you for your patience, for teaching me so much, for the good times, the stressful times, the long meetings and the amazing trips.

To my advisors, my professors and all the mentors I had, a huge thank you. Thank you for challenging me, for the knowledge, and for making me question everything, even myself. I thank this amazing period here that allowed me to interview so many people, challenged me to work harder and taught me how to research things and understand them – to then be able to break it down for others.

I leave today believing even more strongly that journalism is the backbone of a democracy. Now more than ever, student journalism, local journalism and national journalism are essential. Every piece written and every interview done has an impact.

I wish nothing but the best to the upcoming generation, to the UP and to the whole FAU community. It was truly a pleasure and an honor to be a part of this. 

This isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me – just the beginning of everything I came here to become.

All the best,
Sofía De La Espriella Olaya.