I don’t know what college is without this newspaper. (Lauren Chiou / Daily Nexus)

On May 18 at 12:54 a.m., I finished writing my final Artsweek article ever: event coverage of the 46th Extravaganza music festival. 

I approached it as I did any of the 60+ articles I’ve written for the Nexus over the past four years: contact connections, get press passes. Record on my phone. Take notes. Interview audience. Annoy sources. Hunch over my laptop to grind out the roughest draft known to mankind. Write a boring lede, hunt down partial leads, scream in writer’s block-induced frustration. Brainstorm five versions of a headline, each only marginally different than its predecessor. Scream again. 

And then, the best part: that magical moment when somehow, despite all the stress and screaming, it comes together. Paragraphs flow, the story comes together and boom. Article done! 

It’s a time consuming, arduous and addictive process, one that simultaneously kills and exhilarates me. It’s an experience that has played on an endless cycle for the past four years. And I just had the bittersweet privilege of living it for the last time as a college journalist. 

I’ve been desperately trying to delay even thinking about the day I graduate and leave the Daily Nexus. Truth is, I don’t know what college is without this newspaper. I joined Artsweek in 2022 as a 17-year-old freshman with no prior journalism experience whatsoever. All of a sudden, I found myself as assistant editor, then lead editor in a matter of months. And now it’s 2026 and I’m 21, about to graduate and leave behind the best job in the world. 

Running Artsweek has given me the greatest opportunities of my life, ones that I never even dreamed of having. This year alone has been genuinely insane. In January, I photographed former Vice President Kamala Harris. In February, I interviewed Michael B. Jordan on the red carpet. In April, I got lifted out of a Lil Yachty mosh pit. 

Most people don’t understand the value of arts journalism, which is fair. Artsweek doesn’t necessarily cover hard-hitting, breaking news (unless you count Timothée Chalamet wearing a neon green button-up at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival). But that doesn’t mean what we do isn’t important. 

In 2025, I published an investigative data piece on Extravaganza lineups, a music festival put on by the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) and funded by student lock-in fees. I found that there was a lack of diversity in genre and gender across performer selection, failing to represent the desires and interests of the student body funding the concert with their tuition. 

I knew that by publishing an article directly calling ASPB out, I might burn a few bridges and put the Nexus’ relationship with the main entertainment organization on campus at risk. I also knew my work might be completely ignored, labeled as journalistic nonsense and forgotten. 

This year, I learned that ASPB changed the way they approached lineup selection because of that article. They made the decision to gravitate away from the ever-so-popular EDM and rap headliner selections, and incorporate more diverse genres and performers. The 46th Extravaganza was a huge success, due to a lineup that catered to a larger portion of the student body. 

I don’t write this to brag or sound self-important. I write this to emphasize the importance and value of arts reporting, especially on college campuses. Artsweek reports on things that directly pertain to the interests of the student body, campus culture and community. We document this school’s unique, colorful and extensive relationship with the arts and entertainment world. 

Our home under Storke Tower. I love this office with all my heart. (Anusha Singh / Daily Nexus)

During my editorship, it was my mission to transform Artsweek from a media reviews-based section into a full-blown arts and entertainment hub, one that provides in-depth coverage of a variety of arts news. We published countless student profiles and band features. We secured our writers exclusive access to concerts, music festivals and theater productions. I spearheaded the Nexus’ first-ever red carpet coverage for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. I’ll never shut up about that. I’m leaving Artsweek with an immense sense of accomplishment.

I’m also leaving the Daily Nexus with the best friends I’ve ever made. A family, if you will. 

The Nexus is how I became best friends with Emily Yoon, whose rise from copy editor to 2024-25 Editor In Chief is legendary in newsroom history. It’s how I met former Managing Editor Sneha Cheenath, who quickly went from fellow fresh-eyed first-year to my ultimate buddy and confidant. 

I spent 12 straight hours in the office with Copy Chief Alicia Siebers only a week after our first interaction and we now share endless inside jokes and a brain. I witnessed Lucy Dixon become opinion editor our junior year and got to brag about her behind her back, telling everyone I’ve known this star since the Anacapa dorm room days. 

Through this job, I met Kendra Martinez, the sweetest, funniest and loveliest girl in the world (and I’m not just saying that because we look exactly alike). Kendra, I’ve never experienced such motherly feelings toward anyone. It was the greatest privilege to watch you grow. It’s hard to let go and move on, but I’m comforted by the fact that Artsweek is in the best hands with you and Jake.

And finally, last but not least, I’ve had the immense honor of working alongside Stella Mullin since freshman year. Stella, I can safely say that we’re bonded in a way only we can understand. You will always be my co-editor, my partner-in-crime, my favorite byline buddy. I can’t wait to read your pieces when you are inevitably published in Rolling Stone magazine. 

Artsweek and the Daily Nexus have been such a big part of my college life. I don’t know who I am without it. I would brave the mosh pit of a thousand more concerts if it meant I could keep covering events, interviewing students, annoying ASPB and drinking way too much caffeine every Tuesday print night while battling Adobe InDesign on a shitty desktop computer. 

But alas. My time has come. I’m graduating from the Nexus with a deep gratitude for the lessons I’ve learned, the opportunities I gained, the experiences I’ve had and the family I’ve made. 

The best decision I’ve ever made was stepping foot inside a leaky, smelly, dimly-lit newsroom under Storke Tower back in 2022. I had no idea I found my home.

– Lauren Chiou, Outgoing Artsweek Editor

Peace! (Lauren Chiou / Daily Nexus)

This article appeared in the May 28th print edition of the Daily Nexus, Lauren’s last time in print.

Lauren Chiou

Lauren Chiou (she/her) is the Artsweek editor for the 2025-2026 school year. Chiou was the Artsweek editor for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, and Assistant Artsweek editor for the 2022-2023 school year. She can be reached at artsweek@dailynexus.com.