READING has been a hobby of mine since I was in elementary which eventually adapted my love for creative writing. After entering Junior High School in Riyadh, I joined our school’s publication to further develop my passion for writing. Through that, I learned that there are different ways to write depending on the context. Granted, it was not easy as I also experienced writer’s block and sometimes questioned my ability to write. Nevertheless, I pulled through. 

        Being part of The Bedan Herald for four years now, I gained a lot of new experiences that helped me manage and organize my time and space. I know for a fact that joining an organization as distinct as this, we sometimes carry workloads outside of our roles and responsibilities, and it takes up a lot of energy besides our academics. At the same time, it gives a sense of excitement as we have the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life. 

        I never expected to hold the Managing Editor position because the main purpose of me joining was because of my love for writing. I do admit that when the position was given to me, I faced the unknown and unfamiliarity of remembering what forms are required depending on what the members need to accomplish. Since my role is mainly an administrative function, it took me some time to get accustomed to ensuring that the operations of the organization would run effectively. Through this, my perception of leadership changed through the course of my stay. 

        In terms of academics, I have a certain view of how I do my tasks individually and how to do them when assigned in a group. But in leading the managerial staff, I took a different approach. With the transition of online classes to a hybrid setup and now in full face-to-face classes, all of us were learning the ropes on how to handle and smoothly run the organization. From covering events through Zoom to covering events inside the campus and outside, it was confusing at times, but those experiences helped us to discover a system that works based on our standards.

        Your leadership indicates the flow of the people and organization you lead. As such, your influence on them reflects how well they manage to fulfill their duties. Throughout that process, we are going to make some mistakes. It is only a guarantee if you admit to those mistakes and remind yourself to not do it again, we are only human after all. I observed this trait from the members as we continued to grasp the demands of work while balancing other aspects of our lives. 

        As Volume 29 comes to a close, my term does too. But before this volume ends, The Bedan Herald Volume 29 will be having an event, titled, [M]ulat: a press freedom event that sheds light on the roles of Campus Journalism in fighting oppression. Collectively, this event is fundamental to us as we constantly seek the truth and hold great responsibility. This organization transformed my outlook in life, and one of them is to carry on pursuing the candor of journalism.