My name is Morgan Garcia, and The Berkeley Pulse is basically the home base for everything I do — writing, poetry, music, tutoring, all of it. I grew up in the Bay Area, and Berkeley was always somewhere in the background of my life. I went to Cal football and basketball games as a kid, walked around campus before I ever thought I’d be a student here, and I remember thinking this place felt bigger than anything I really understood at the time.

Now I’m here as an English major, actually living the life I once looked at from the outside, and writing has become the way I process all of it. Some days it’s through poetry, sometimes it’s sports journalism, sometimes it’s a long-form piece that pulls me into a rabbit hole for hours. Writing has always been how I figure things out — not just about the world, but about myself.

The Berkeley Pulse is where all of that comes together. It’s a mix of campus stories, sports coverage, creative work, essays, and whatever else is running through my mind at the moment. I try to write from the student perspective — the things we see, the things we feel, the stuff that never makes it into official newsletters or press releases. Some stories are heavy. Some are just fun. Most live somewhere in between. But they all carry a piece of what makes Berkeley, Berkeley.

Outside of writing for the site, I’m also a poet and a creator working on larger projects, including a long mythopoetic series I’ve been building for a while now. And because writing changed my life — seriously — I also tutor students on PIQs, college essays, and academic writing. I’ve worked with K–12 students, community college students, and UC applicants, and I love helping people find a voice that sounds like them, not what they think admissions officers want to hear. I was accepted to both Berkeley and UCLA, and I bring that experience with me when I work with students.

I’m still growing, and The Berkeley Pulse is growing with me. I don’t pretend to have everything figured out, but I know that writing, community, and creativity are the places where I’m happiest and most honest. If you’re here to read, learn, or work with me in any way, I appreciate you more than you know.

Thanks for being here.
— Morgan