It was once my multo — until Explained turned it into reality

Journalism was something I joined just for fun. Back then, it felt like just another activity, something I tried out of curiosity; it never really came to my mind that it would reach a point where I would genuinely love it and eventually treat it as my passion.

There were days when life felt directionless. I had nothing clear to follow and no dream I was fully sure of. I just kept myself busy, trying to avoid feeling lost and hoping it would somehow bring peace. I had no map in my hands, but I kept moving forward. Later on, I found out that what I was searching for was never really a place—it was a purpose.

When my parents didn’t agree for me to pursue journalism in college, I was really devastated—it felt like a door I was slowly learning to love was being shut right in front of me. Many people thought my journey in journalism would end there, and I started to doubt myself because it seemed like a dream that was so hard to reach. With this, I ended up questioning myself whether I was truly meant for it or if it’s something I should just let go of.

Yet in my heart, no matter what happens, storytelling will always be my first love, writing and broadcasting will always be part of me. Even if others couldn’t see it as a stable path, I always believed there was something special in the way stories speak for people and give voice to justice.

Little did I know, the organization I never expected to join would become the very reason I continued. Explained played a big role in my growth as a campus journalist; for me, it became more than just an organization, it became a family where I truly felt free, and it led me to find my purpose.

Explained also empowered us to realize that we are not just teenagers doing this “for fun”as some people may say, but we are young journalists who are brave and capable of carrying responsibility while serving truth with integrity. It opened my eyes that the true mission goes beyond competition.

Never did I even imagine that I would come to the point where I could meet people I grew up watching on TV, delivering the news I used to only listen to at home. I once thought they were so far from my world, but because of coverage, I got the chance to meet them in person and even talk to them. It made everything feel real, like journalism was no longer just something I watched or dreamed about, but something I was truly part of.

No matter what I do and where I go, I will always come back to where I feel most free and where I can truly be myself—telling stories. I may not be the best, and I may not be the most experienced, but journalism is not only about skills or titles, it is about the willingness to serve.

And that fire that I thought was fading? It never really left. It was just there all along, waiting to be fully unleashed. Explained didn’t ignite it from nothing, it simply gave it space again to breathe and to remind me why I started in the first place.

This may not be my first academic path, but it will always be my greatest love. Through all the doubts and setbacks, passion does not always need permission to exist. Now, I’ve come to believe that once you become a journalist at heart, you will always be one.