Issue 29 (Spring 2023) – The Catalyst

Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

Growing up is funny. There comes a point in your early twenties when you start to become painfully aware of every passing year. You aren’t old by any means but you begin to mourn your blissfully ignorant youth and feel suffocated by the speed at which you perceive your life flying by. At the same time most of you would not take any amount of money to be eighteen again, I know I wouldn’t.

On Saint Patrick’s Day, earlier this year, I was at the James Joyce with my friends, giggling at the masses of beanie-and-flannel wearing hipster millennials we were surrounded by. I remember thinking about how one day, I would be at a bar with my friends, oblivious to a group of just-turned-twenty-one-year-olds from the nearest college making fun of us. It was an amusing thought but also a hard pill to swallow. It is hard to accept that the places and people I love, and the things I am apart of will move on in my absence.

I am not one of those people who think college is the best four years of their entire life. I am eagerly looking forward to the plethora of opportunities and adventures that await me in post-graduate life. But I hate change. It is one of my flaws that I wholeheartedly accept. Graduating college is scary and it involves a great deal of loss. I am losing my identity as a student, the professors who have mentored me and who I will forever be grateful for, the proximity to my friends, and the community I have found here at The Catalyst. It is hard to let go of these things because they are the reason I am who I am today.

This is my last letter as editor in chief and it is bittersweet. I am sad that I have to leave this team but I am excited for the people who will carry it on next year. I am also excited to meet new people, travel, and go to graduate school. I want to thank my fellow editors, Brian, and Henry, one last time, for giving me the truly special gift of being part of The Catalyst.

All my love,
Suad Abdoun
Editor in Chief

† Content Warning: Please be advised that some of the material in the magazine may be disturbing or traumatizing to some readers. The magazine contains language and addresses themes that may not be suitable for young readers. We would like to provide our readers of the UCSB community with additional resources: