• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Join PGM
Pepperdine Graphic

Pepperdine Graphic

  • News
    • Good News
  • Sports
    • Hot Shots
  • Life & Arts
  • Perspectives
    • Advice Column
    • Waves Comic
  • GNews
    • Staff Spotlights
    • First and Foremost
    • Allgood Food
    • Pepp in Your Step
    • DunnCensored
    • Beyond the Statistics
  • Special Publications
    • 5 Years In
    • L.A. County Fires
    • Change in Sports
    • Solutions Journalism: Climate Anxiety
    • Common Threads
    • Art Edition
    • Peace Through Music
    • Climate Change
    • Everybody Has One
    • If It Bleeds
    • By the Numbers
    • LGBTQ+ Edition: We Are All Human
    • Where We Stand: One Year Later
    • In the Midst of Tragedy
  • Currents
    • Currents Spring 2025
    • Currents Fall 2024
    • Currents Spring 2024
    • Currents Winter 2024
    • Currents Spring 2023
    • Currents Fall 2022
    • Spring 2022: Moments
    • Fall 2021: Global Citizenship
    • Spring 2021: Beauty From Ashes
    • Fall 2020: Humans of Pepperdine
    • Spring 2020: Everyday Feminism
    • Fall 2019: Challenging Perceptions of Light & Dark
  • Podcasts
    • On the Other Hand
    • RE: Connect
    • Small Studio Sessions
    • SportsWaves
    • The Graph
    • The Melanated Muckraker
  • Print Editions
  • NewsWaves
  • Sponsored Content
  • Digital Deliveries
  • DPS Crime Logs

Good News: Follow What Fills Your Heart

March 17, 2025 by Amanda Monahan

Members of the Graphic staff pose with a member of the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) after winning first place for Best Newspaper/Newsmagazine at the ACP Conference in Long Beach on March 8. Life & Arts Editor Amanda Monahan (third from right) said the conference as an experience to support and be supported by other student journalists. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Salgado
Members of the Graphic staff pose with a member of the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) after winning first place for Best Newspaper/Newsmagazine at the ACP Conference in Long Beach on March 8. Life & Arts Editor Amanda Monahan (third from right) said the conference as an experience to support and be supported by other student journalists. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Salgado

When I first became a student journalist, I didn’t know what to expect. The opportunity to write was enough for me, let alone have my writing published and printed.

Yet, what I soon came to discover was the stigma that surrounds the world of journalism, both professionally and across college campuses. Readers accuse journalists of being biased, and writers are criticized for sharing the stories they are passionate about. I wondered if I would ever survive in a field like this.

But, I stuck with it, and the fulfillment I have received has continued to show me why I do what I do, each and every day.

For the last few days of spring break, several members of the Graphic staff, including myself, attended the Associate Collegiate Press‘s National College Media Conference in Long Beach. The conference provided opportunities to learn from professionals, connect with other student journalists and members of our staff were fortunate enough to be keynote speakers and panelists.

As we attended various sessions and award shows, I came to notice something I had never felt before — an unwavering amount of support, recognition and encouragement across the journalism community.

I have always felt like my work is important to me, whether it was sharing about first lady Joline Gash’s upbringing, giving Pepperdine parents a space to reflect on sending their kids off to college or shedding light on how our community was grappling with housing losses after the Palisades Fire. These stories and every story I’ve written mean so much to me, and giving people a platform to share their own story is something I hope to never lose touch with.

Although this fulfillment and support comes from within my journalism community, what I’ve ultimately come to realize is the importance of following what makes your heart full, even if you might face some hurdles along the way. A bad review or a critical comment mean nothing compared to a life of fulfillment and purpose.

_________________________________

Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic

Contact Amanda Monahan via email: amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu

Filed Under: News Tagged With: ACP Conference, Amanda Monahan., awards ceremony, Good News, Graphic Staff, journalism, News, pepperdine graphic media, student journalists, support

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Featured
  • News
  • Life & Arts
  • Perspectives
  • Sports
  • Podcasts
  • G News
  • COVID-19
  • Fall 2021: Global Citizenship
  • Everybody Has One
  • Newsletters

Footer

Pepperdine Graphic Media
Copyright © 2025 ยท Pepperdine Graphic

Contact Us

Advertising
(310) 506-4318
peppgraphicadvertising@gmail.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
(310) 506-4311
peppgraphicmedia@gmail.com
Student Publications
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube