Eva Cheng

The best stories come from reporting outside our comfort zones, chasing harder angles and tackling difficult topics.

We all have our “center field:” the exposed position where we feel unqualified or vulnerable, where every play we make can show that we don’t belong. For some, it’s the class that intimidates them, and for others, the role they never imagined taking on. For me, it was joining the sports section in journalism. 

When I entered the journalism Sports team two years ago as Assistant Sports Editor, I’d only played a competitive sport for one season in middle school. Other sections like STEM and Arts & Entertainment felt safe. But suddenly, I was standing in “center field,” right in the middle of unfamiliar territory. 

I could have stayed paralyzed with that uncertainty, but the rest of the Sports team didn’t let that happen. They welcomed me with open arms, and instead of expecting me to already know the game, they invited me to learn it alongside them. 

In my new position, as I spent hours under the beaming sun alongside golf players and chatting with coaches about their hopes for their season, I started to understand something: Center field isn’t about mastering every play. It’s about being present and observant in the moment. 

With our recent homecoming game in this Winged Post issue, I was reminded of my role in last year’s live coverage, or what felt like my biggest test as Co-Sports Editor. We published minute-by-minute updates from the bleachers, and the majority of our team had never done this before, including me. There was no practice run. Photographers who’d never shot a football game chased plays across the field. Writers who’d never reported on sports before kept typing away. 

That night taught us we don’t need years, or even months, of experience to stand in center field. We just need to show up and learn the game. Journalism has taught me to embrace the unfamiliar. The best stories come from reporting outside our comfort zones, chasing harder angles and tackling difficult topics. I’ve learned to stay curious, ask questions and always remember what it feels like to be a beginner. 

With this Winged Post issue marking my third cycle as an Editor-in-Chief, I feel more confident with the process. But I’m determined not to get too comfortable. Growth happens when we step into positions we’ve never played, so I challenge my fellow journalists to say “yes” to the assignment that scares you, the section you’ve never covered and the story you don’t yet know how to tell. 

Last week, I attended a demonstration in Palo Alto supporting California redistricting with Proposition 50 for an article in our newspaper. I was worried beforehand, unsure if I’d be seen as a nuisance. But when I arrived, not only did the organizer answer my questions; he also asked me his own, turning our interview into a genuine conversation. This interaction reinstated my belief in pushing past our fears to find perspectives we’ve never encountered. 

So, I encourage readers, as we settle into the school year, to look for your own center field. Find the position you think you’re least qualified for and try it anyway. 

And as you step into your own center field, remember to extend that same opportunity to others. Look around and notice who’s in unfamiliar territory and reach out to them. Stand beside them the way the Sports team stood beside me. 

Claim your spot in center field, even if, and especially if, you’ve never played the game. We grow in the positions we’re brave enough to try and in the kindness we show others doing the same.