What a week. The world set its sights on Arizona as Super Bowl LVII and the WM Phoenix Open were held in the Valley this month.

As a digital producer, I was right in the middle of the action and helped with the local coverage of the events. Ever since I started pursuing a career in journalism at ASU, I dreamed about covering a big sports story like this. And it finally happened.

For seven days, I was in the city that was the center of the sports and pop culture universe. It was easily the highlight of my journalism career.

Every day was a different event. From NFL Opening Night on Monday to the WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am on Wednesday, it was non-stop action.

The entire week from start to finish seemed like a non-stop stream of excitement. Rolling around downtown Phoenix and seeing all the sights and sounds was something I’d never experienced before. I haven’t seen an event of this scale before since I became a journalist. And it was all happening in my hometown.

We prepared for these events months ago and it still felt larger than life. Media from all over the world was in Phoenix and the downtown area felt more like New York or Las Vegas. There was just so much to experience.

Personally, one of the bigger highlights for me happened during opening night. As I was rolling around the Footprint Center and interacting with the players, I actually met a couple of other journalists in wheelchairs. I can’t begin to describe how cool it was to see other journalists like me. I always knew I wasn’t the only disabled journalist around, but seeing them in person was something I never thought I’d see.

Everywhere I went, most of the time I was the only disabled person in the room. But now I actually felt like one of the crew and finally belonged.

After seeing the other disabled journalists, they brought up the point of accessibility to the athletes.

For those in wheelchairs, reaching the podiums of the more prominent athletes like Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts was impossible. The crowds and podium height made access to ask questions an issue. If I had Roger Goodell’s ear I would ask him to try and make these events more friendly and accessible to disabled journalists.

Aside from a couple of accessibility issues here and there, the entire week ran without a hitch. All of the events were exciting to attend and amazing to cover. The entire week is a time I will certainly not forget any time soon and I will always be thankful for the opportunity.