Carson Trailblazer alumnus graduates to the Daily Bruin

From being a student journalist at Carson High School to becoming Assistant Opinion Editor for UCLA’s Daily Bruin newspaper, Edgerrin Panaligan has been busy in his second year of college.

“At the Daily Bruin, newspaper production happens five times a week on weekdays, so the transition from working on a monthly paper at the Trailblazer to a daily [was] exhausting, and at times a lot to deal with, but it has been an overall wonderful experience to be a part of,” Panaligan said.

Panaligan spent his first year at UCLA as an opinion intern and columnist, and wrote two news stories and six opinion columns ranging from topics including financial aid, union strikes and the college admissions scandal.

“In my senior year at Carson High, I served as the Op-Ed editor with the Trailblazer, so I thought it just made sense to follow the same path heading into college,” Panaligan said.

His responsibilities as an Opinion Editor include pitching writers new ideas for columns, critiquing their past work, helping them gather sourcing and reporting for their columns, editing drafts through an extensive editing process, and working with other sections of the newspaper to produce the Opinion page every day. 

The Daily Bruin office is located in Kerchkoff Hall at UCLA, in which some editors live and stay in as a result of their roles in the program, Panaligan said. 

Panaligan is one of the two assistants, along with the top editor of his opinion section. The opinion section produces content that facilitates discussion on campus regarding issues that need to be addressed. 

Many Carson students said they’ve been inspired by Panaligan to keep working hard towards what they want in life.