What an incredible journey the past six years have been. When I approached Lakers Nation in the beginning of 2012 (via a LinkedIn message that I’m pretty sure I proofread 25 times), I was still valeting cars at the Hyatt in Newport Beach, tutoring kids, and driving back and forth to Santa Barbara to co-host ‘Sports Talk 805’ on public access TV.

I can remember pushing send on that message, just patiently awaiting a response, only half-confident that I would actually get one. While thinking about where it all first started, I thought it would be fun to search through my emails and see if I could find that first email…

Instead, I found a copy of the email, a pre-email, if you will, that I actually sent to my mom to proofread before sending over to Lakers Nation. And besides being too hilarious not to share, I think it shows how much this Lakers Nation opportunity meant to me.

March 29, 2012:

“Mom, this is a very important email. I’ve re-written it so many times that I just want to make sure that I haven’t glanced over any obvious errors. Will you do a quick proofread so I can send it out in between tutoring today? Thanks! Love you”

Now, the actual email I sent to Lakers Nation was your typical introductory email, talking about my passions, experiences, qualifications, and just asking for an opportunity.

And, 10 days later a response popped up in my inbox, and the Lakers Nation journey began.

From cheesy webcam reports and fan interviews (here’s my first LN video!) to green screen post-game shows, our video started to grow and grow.

Then, it was charity events and practice reports, and before we knew it, we were doing our postgame reports from Staples Center. A couple of things always stayed the same though: the passion and the late, late nights 🙂

And it was because of you guys, all the fans, that my passion never wavered. Whether you were with me from the beginning, the middle, or the end, you will always hold such a special place in my heart. Your support pushed me to be better, to do more, to keep pushing.

The tweets, the emails, the comments, the hellos at the arena, those that watched videos or read articles, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate you.

And now, going back to the first email I ever sent Lakers Nation, the closing of my email still applies:

“My ultimate goal is to fulfill my dream as a successful sports broadcaster, and I will take advantage of any opportunity that can further my passion.”

And it’s for that reason, that it’s time for me to take advantage of a new and amazing opportunity to grow and further that passion, and with that growth comes change. While I hope that all of you will follow along on my next journey, I also know I’ll lose some of you.

And that’s okay. I appreciate the support while I covered your favorite team, and I hope you know I gave everything to covering the purple and gold. For those of you that continue following on, I can’t wait to share my new chapter with all of you – SOON!

And to everyone at Lakers Nation, who believed in me, and gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream, THANK YOU. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.

So much love,

Serena

*Special thanks to the Lakers organization and Lakers PR, especially John Black and Alison Bogli, for allowing me the opportunity and for trusting in me to cover the Lakers. Thank you to everyone that I have had the pleasure of working with at Lakers Nation. We all have been through quite a lot together (I know a lot of you will smirk as you read this), and I’ll never forget any one of you.

To Andrew Martinez and Michael Hain, I don’t have the right words to tell you both how much I appreciate you, not just for the dedication and all-nighters, but also for the laughs and the friendship. Shout out to Spectrum SportsNet who gave me the opportunity to be a face on your Lakers TV network, and to every single producer, assistant, cameraman, audio guy, and behind the scenes person that was so kind to me.

To all the writers and reporters, you have been so supportive and encouraging since I started my career, and I’ll never forget it. To the Lakers coaches and players I have had the privilege to cover, thank you for your respect.

Winters out.