During an anti-ICE protest on campus this semester, I ran through a wave of chanting protesters and pushed to the very front. With my adrenaline pumping, I dropped to one knee in front of the march and aimed my camera at the scene, hoping to capture the perfect shot seconds before being almost crushed by the crowd. To me, that is photojournalism: visually documenting history as it happens.
As I sign off as the fall 2025 editor-in-chief of the University Press, I reflect on the photos that shaped my coverage during my two years. I wrote more than 70 articles for the student newspaper, but there was always a photo paired with the story that added something words alone could not. A picture really can speak a thousand words.
Every time I press my camera’s shutter, I capture an intimate interaction with the subject and then have the opportunity to share that frozen moment in time with readers. With my camera always on my hip, I took countless shots, some made the cover page and told the story perfectly. While others didn’t and stayed on my SD card as blurry reminders.
One of my first notable yet simple photos during my tenure was of a flipped car last year. While driving on campus, I got stuck in traffic and noticed the wreck from the crash. I instantly put on my journalist hat and pulled out my camera. One photo made the homepage, but the others helped me document the scene and report the story in greater detail.
Another moment came when a simple photo led to a major investigation into FAU’s removal of burrowing owls from their habitat earlier this year to make room for a new dormitory on the Boca Raton campus. A photo I took of a plastic covering over a nesting site became proof before construction even started, and helped push the reporting forward. It showed me that stories are everywhere; sometimes they are right in front of you.
