When I sat down to write my first piece as a reporter, I hesitated over every word. The more I thought about it, the more my head ached. Around that time, I spotted a notice from the residential college about a campus volunteer activity: picking up trash, followed by a small picnic under fully bloomed cherry blossoms. Hoping it might help clear my mind, I signed up, never realizing that this lighthearted decision would quietly reshape my mindset as a reporter.

Looking for what others walk past

Walking through the campus and along the railway, trash bag and grabber in hand, my scattered thoughts slowly began to fall into place. Among the fallen cherry blossoms lay small pieces of trash, easy to miss. Out there to pick them up, I started noticing things I would have walked past on any other day. This experience showed me what it means to be a reporter for The Postech Times. It means paying attention not only to the stories in plain sight, but also to those that often go unnoticed. It is about uncovering stories from every corner of the campus.

The stories behind the trash

As I continued picking up trash, I found myself thinking about the stories behind what I collected.  A small delivery knife on Stormy Hill suggested a scene that a group of students had likely held a Pokjja, the POSTECH tradition of eating jajangmyeon on Stormy Hill. Even a single piece of trash can tell an entire story. This is the perspective I want to bring into my writing. Whatever I write, I do not want my articles to end up simply delivering information. I want readers to pause. Not for long. Just enough to see what lies beneath the surface.

Unexpected gift

A printed newspaper has a quiet force. Even when readers do not actively seek a story, their eyes often linger on what is placed before them. And sometimes, in that brief moment, they encounter something unexpected. Likewise, I went out expecting nothing more than a simple walk but returned with a new perspective on what it means to be a reporter. That is the kind of writing I hope to create. Stories that catch readers off guard are like an unexpected gift.  I hope to write pieces that someone, somewhere, did not expect to read but makes them glad they did.