When I stepped onto the University of Portland’s campus as a first-year student three years ago, things were much different from how they are now.
Class of 2025 was the first class of first-year students to return to campus after the COVID-19 pandemic. Eager to return to our pre-pandemic life, we embraced the new normal. Masks were required in every building, including residence halls, and after a COVID spike over winter break, our first two weeks of spring semester were held virtually.
Yet, somehow, we found joy in being a part of the UP community. We excitedly participated in our peers' lives and what they brought to life on campus. We went to River Boat, Rock the Bluff and CPB Dances — the first time many of these events returned to campus since the start of the pandemic.
But it wasn’t just us experiencing college life for the first time. It was also the class of 2024, who spent almost all their first year of college virtually, and the class of 2023, who had their freshman year cut short and spent their sophomore year virtually.
I was hired to be on The Beacon during my first month at UP in 2021. Since then, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the university has changed and transformed into what it is today. I can say with certainty that things have never been the same since the pandemic, an understatement of what we experienced as students — but also as an institution.
I witnessed students advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion at a Catholic institution, the effects of which are still present. I witnessed UP welcome its first layperson and person of color as university president. I witnessed growth in student organizations, particularly the presence of cultural clubs and the creation of a reproductive justice club.
I have seen UP students shine brightly in darkness amidst the unknown. Stand tall and courageous to those in power.
We are made from change and history — at UP and in the world around us. However radical you want it to be, change can only happen if you take advantage of your power. Nobody can tell you how big to dream, who to be, how much hope to hold in your body.
At The Beacon, we have the privilege of documenting the stories that come from adversity, joy, connection, celebration and community. We also have a duty to hold the powerful accountable and comfort the afflicted. We hold the responsibility to seek the truth.
As Editor-in-Chief, I encourage you to have your voice heard. Help us uncover your power by reaching out to our staff, pitching story ideas or writing an opinion. You can define UP, nobody else. No mission statement or strategic plan can withhold the power of resistance and truth.
I am honored to serve UP students, staff and faculty, and I am committed to upholding the role journalists play in our society as watchdogs of public affairs, seeking the truth and ensuring the free exchange of accurate and fair information.
Students, what will you make of your power?
Kimberly Cortez is the Editor-in-Chief of The Beacon. They can be reached at cortez25@up.edu.
