A tall 6’1—almost 6’2—redhead senior who’s passionate about anything and everything sports. That was my first impression of Staff Writer Graham Walker (‘22) when he stepped into The Tower classroom. However, as the year progressed, it became less about his height, as I came to admire his work ethic and perseverance. Whenever there was a roadblock that came up in his article-writing process, he stuck with it and was able to get over those obstacles.

Co-Editor-in-Chief Sariah Hossain (‘22) appreciated his “hustle” while writing “Almost Losing a Legend.” The story was originally about Tom Brady’s retirement, but right as he completed final edits and was getting ready to send the article to print, Tom Brady unretired and announced he would be staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Graham worked so hard in that super tight timeline to update the news story, get quotes, and keep everything relevant,” Sariah said. 

Staff Writer Mihir Bhagatwala (‘23) met Graham at the beginning of this year. “He’s always an entertaining person to talk to and works hard on articles,” he said. He agreed with Sariah saying that he’ll never forget how he quickly pivoted his piece after finding out about Tom Brady’s retirement.

Graham also added variety to The Tower’s coverage, being a major contributor in the sports section. Co-Editor-in-Chief Clare Malhotra (‘22) revealed that he was a “helpful addition” to the staff this year. “His unique areas of interest, which include the NFL and sports in general, helped us appeal to a more diverse audience and allowed us to broaden our writing topics,” she said.

Graham’s love for the community is evident in the way he talks about his favorite aspects of The Tower. “What I’ll remember the most from The Tower is having meaningful conversations with Bishop’s teachers and students about accomplishments, opinions and debates. I’ve come to really enjoy the interview process,” he said. 

Graham has also won the respect of underclassmen staff writers. Staff Writer Kayden Wang (‘25) is not only a fellow writer, but is also a fellow teammate of Graham’s on the Bishop’s Varsity Boys’ Golf Team. Graham is also captain of the boys golf team, which won the Division 3 San Diego Section CIF Championship this year. Through numerous golf car-trips with Graham, Kayden came to describe him as someone who is kind, generous, and cares for others. “He always takes time to really see if you need anything, to see if he can help,” said Kayden. 

Staff Writers Sydney Chan (‘24) and Lily Gover (‘24) agreed on the term ‘iPad kid’ to describe Graham. While reflecting, Sydney said she remembered one day Graham decided to lay on the floor with his iPad, because the classroom had run out of chairs. “I thought it was really funny and illustrated his personality in a great way,” said Sydney.

While looking back on his first year on The Tower, Graham valued learning many journalism skills and the process of journalism. “I’ve learned that it takes a lot of dedication to the writing process to produce a quality article. In other words, I’ve learned what journalism truly means. It means putting in long hours of research and investigative work, coupled with well-structured and edited writing,” he said. 

Graham’s hard-work and persistence in all his articles has had a profound impact on The Tower team’s work ethic this year. We’ll surely miss his presence and wish him well in future endeavors.