By: Luis Angel Perez Martinez
It’s crazy that four years have passed since I first started at Brooklyn College, not knowing a thing about it. I didn’t even plan to join any clubs; I thought I’d just be by myself the entire time, without much of a social life.
When I first heard about The Vanguard, I was hesitant because I deal with social anxiety around people I don’t know. But after consistently attending the meetings for a while, I felt a sense of purpose for the first time in my college career.
Journalism wasn’t something I wanted to take seriously at first; I was more interested in sports broadcasting, which, funnily enough, requires a journalism degree (thanks, Google). The Vanguard helped me focus better on journalism as a whole and made me want to do more with other forms of media, like video editing.
My time at The Vanguard can be described in a few ways: it was spent with some of the best and smartest people I know, the most dedicated team, and the most family-like group(s) I know.
I won’t forget how I started as a Videographer at the Vanguard, thanks to Kate Dempsey. After the presidential election in Nov. 2024, the room felt a bit off. Everyone was sad or had no words; some were in denial, and others were just very angry but hopeful for change. From there, I pitched an appreciation video to Kate because we all just needed some positivity. As many would say: “The Rest Was History.”
One of the best memories I have from The Vanguard was coming into the office just three days after I sprained my ankle. When I limped into the office, I saw the staff giving me a standing ovation as I powered through to get to campus. People coming up to me, asking what happened and how I felt about my injury, was very wholesome and something I will cherish. For a couple of weeks after that, I came in with a cane, and everyone rejoiced, and we all had fun with it.
As a videographer, I always had the privilege of creating the end-of-semester video, which I enjoyed because it let me express my vision of storytelling, even in a simple recap. Other fun times included covering the Pokémon Go Fest and the Vessel for graduating students.
While working on videography, I also wrote some pieces—my main focus—about my passion for pro wrestling. Writing these pieces really helped me improve as a writer. My favorite wrestling piece is definitely “How WWE fans are Paying the Price,” where I talk about the logistics of watching pro wrestling week to week and the fascinating history behind it. I remember doing my first piece and thinking I knew better, but it turned out I had lots to learn.
Manny, Fonso, and Jaida—all of you have been a part of both my pro wrestling journey and my journalism journey. We took many different classes together, which I won’t forget, as well as the many, many things we did outside of class, which I could go on and on about. We’ve all been through a lot over the years, and I hope we can keep being friends and do more crazy stuff after graduation. You all bring out the best and my purest self in me.
I also want to shout out to Mars for helping me with video projects and being the person I could relate to most, helping me on some of my video journeys. You are the person I see most eye-to-eye with when it comes to video making and editing. When I needed advice for my first film courses and for recommending my first-ever camera, you were there for me. I want to say thank you very much for all your work and help.
There are so many others I want to shout out, so I quickly want to mention Tony Lipka, Oscar, Amira, Key, Serena, Rami, Paulina, and Kate. You all were a huge part of building the journalist I am today and helping me understand the world we live in.
To all the Vanguardians, my peers, and everyone reading this, thank you all very much for being a part of my journey, even in a small way. I will never forget the memories we made both inside and outside the Vanguard; they were some of the most memorable moments not only of my college life but of my life in general. As many others and I graduate, I want all of you to keep The Vanguard legacy alive and keep reporting so everyone has a voice.
I embrace all that was done, and I embrace Brooklyn College for what it has done for me personally. To end it all, I wanna say “Thank You For The Adventures”.
Best from your videographer,
Luis A.P.M