New year, new newsletter host

My name is Calista Stocker, and as one of the many San Diego State University students squeezing themselves into this ever-growing community, I have had the pleasure of calling College Area my home for the last three years. Now, I have the pleasure of being Mission Times Courier’s newsletter host!

In my short time here, I have watched the neighborhood and university transform. New businesses, new housing, new students. Coming from the East Coast, College Area was my introduction to “America’s Finest City.” Needless to say, I quickly became familiar with the area.

However, I had never ventured outside my SDSU bubble. That is, until my fall internship with Times of San Diego.

I was assigned to write for the Mission Times, covering a neighborhood I knew like the back of my hand — or so I thought. As a student, I believed that the greater College Area and Navajo community juxtaposed the university. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

The residents of College Area and Navajo are the heartbeat of the community, growing alongside the university, not against it. The community that supports our local businesses in the winter months. The community that sticks around for June Gloom. The community that, while often family-oriented, wants to see a thriving area for students and residents alike. 

The community is continuing to grow — especially following the city’s approval of a massive housing increase — however, it remains that no story is too small.

With this in mind, I am honored to continue providing for the community — one newsletter at a time. If there are any suggestions you have for Mission Times or anything you’d like to see us cover, I’m all ears! Shoot me an email at calistas@timesofsandiego.com.

Our weekly data reports now have updated crime statistics and more. Check out your neighborhood here, and send us an email on what more you want to see.

▶ Navajo

▶ College Area