The Aggie showed me how expansive Davis really is
By MAYA SHYDLOWSKI-BESMER
As anyone who has attended UC Davis knows, there’s a magical charm about this bubble-like town. For my family and friends from home, Davis is a stop in for food on the way to Tahoe or a destination for a middle school soccer tournament. It amazes me to think about the Davis you would see from the outside while driving up I-80 and all the Davis you would miss.
Davis is a town of passionate, hard-working people who want to change the world. I saw that the second I stepped into the office at The Aggie in the fall of my senior year.
I’m regretful that it took me so long to find the little house on A Street, but I am all the happier to have found it at all. More than anything, working at The Aggie has given me the opportunity (or excuse) to talk to amazing people who are living inspirational lives or doing life-changing work — from Ukrainian refugees here in Davis to the geniuses behind the campus sheep mowers (shoutout to Haven Kiers). I tell them I’m a student reporter for The Aggie, and no one questions why I want to know so much about their lives. It’s great.
“I’m regretful that it took me so long to find the little house on A Street, but I am all the happier to have found it at all.”
I’m so honored to be able to add The Aggie to the list of organizations I’ve been involved with on campus. Davis filled up my resume just as much as it filled up my heart. I am grateful to the Arboretum, the Student Farm and my lab in the plant sciences department for the experiences that have shown me the beauty of Davis and introduced me to so many incredible people.
Nonetheless, I feel as if I did not get to spend enough time in this magical town — I transferred in as a sophomore and proceeded to spend half of my college career online. I’ve spent considerable time writing articles for the features desk this year, with the rest of my time trying my hand (or legs) at running with the cross country and track club. Although I feel like I made the most of my disrupted time at Davis, writing for The Aggie only showed me how much more Davis has to offer that I didn’t even begin to dip my toes into.
I love the reactions people have when they hear that I write for The Aggie and am a plant sciences major. But that says more about how welcoming and dynamic The Aggie is than how strange my combination is. I was given the opportunity to use my voice (and my words) to grow as a person and as a writer. I’m sad to leave but excited to bring everything I have gained from this experience into the *real world* (eek!).
Written by: Maya Shydlowski-Besmer
Maya Shydlowski is a staff writer for the features desk, which she has covered since fall of 2021 when she joined The Aggie. She is graduating with a B.S. in plant sciences and a minor in professional writing.
