When you get kicked out of a college extracurricular and it makes national news, you experience a few things. For one, news outlets will reach out for a comment or to offer their mentorship. Secondly, you will have your classmates and faculty stop you on your way to class to commend your actions. Third, no one tells you how to cope with the aftermath –after your family, friends, classmates, and professors have consoled you in exhaustion.
On October 15th, 2025, I was removed with “cause” from WUVA News, a student broadcast news outlet. This came after I produced an interview with then interim President of the University, Paul Mahoney. I posed several questions to him directly ranging from student deportations to DEI. Afterwards, the WUVA President ordered me to email an apology to the University President’s office –only after he approved it. I was confused and hesitant and sought counsel with members of WUVA’s Board of Directors and Professors of Politics and Media Studies. It was then that I realized the actions taken against me were unprecedented and inappropriate. Their advice was unanimous: do not apologize. So, I refused and then I was removed.
The true importance of my refusal to apologize didn’t hit me until the day after my termination. Then, at a Center for Politics event I spoke with former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, who reminded me how many journalists, like himself, had been punished for seeking answers. Journalism is a strange field –it’s one of the few professions where its practitioners can be punished for doing their jobs.
I felt isolated and lonely in my decision, but I spoke at the event. Acosta thanked me and told me I was standing up for the first amendment. After the event, audience members gathered around me to tell me I was doing the right thing. Women hugged me and told me I would do great in the field. I held back tears that eventually broke through as I walked home. That evening reframed what had happened to me as more than a disagreement between peers but misalignment on the purpose of journalism. To me, its purpose has been—and continues to be—speaking truth to power and building bridges between communities.
I grew up in a house where the news was always on, but I didn’t understand the cost of reporting it until this happened. My parents say they are “not political people,” yet were adamant on keeping up with US affairs from the local to the international level. Through osmosis, I eventually became a “news junkie” myself.
After the 2016 election, I became fascinated by how the government and communities reacted to this polarizing yet magnetic political figure. I looked beyond the content offered in history and civics classes to feed my interests by reading news coverage from every major outlet.
An opportunity to engage with the government came when I was accepted to intern for my state Senator and later the General Assembly. The experiences there were the foundation for my understanding of how the government works. It made me an optimistic realist on our democracy –seeing the number of people committed to the integrity of our institutions continues to inspire me.
Journalism is where I feel I can make the most individual difference. It is a dream career I feel privileged to pursue.
Public controversy so early on in my career is undeniably discouraging, but ultimately I view it as an opportunity to grow stronger. I am grateful to my family, professors, peers, and mentors who have supported me through this period, and most importantly, I remain steadfast in working towards a profession that safeguards democracy and amplifies the voices of the public. I look forward to continuing my work as a reporter in Charlottesville and beyond, committed to integrity, resilience, and the pursuit of truth.
The opinions expressed within this piece represent the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jefferson Independent.
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