Working for the newspaper over the years has been an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Despite having nothing to do with my major, it has taught me more than anything else at this school could have.
I started this job as a reporter all the way back in 2019. I had the opportunity to work under an amazing Editor-in- Chief who taught me so much about the newspaper but also about life. She taught me to be assertive when you have to and not let people walk all over you.
After that, I had the opportunity to move up to an editor position in 2021. I started as the news editor in a time that was filled with uncertainty and in a paper that looked a lot different than what I was used to.
After that, I had the pleasure of serving as the Editor-in-Chief myself and it’s something that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
I won’t lie, it’s been some of the most stressful times of my life but also the most fulfilling. It’s hard to explain the feeling when you see your name in print but when you can look at the whole paper and think “wow, I did that,” it’s even more indescribable.
When I first started, I had no idea what the job truly entailed. I didn’t realize the push back we got from the very school who funds us. I didn’t know about all the emails and phone calls I would get from those who don’t agree with what we’ve published, especially when you’re so careful to only publish the truth.
The Vanguard has had its ups and downs when it comes to this, but I’ve made it a point to always talk to both sides but also to really give the students the voice they deserve to have on campus. Moving forward, I hope the paper continues to do this and allows the paper to be a place where students feel safe enough to discuss their problems openly with the school.
SVSU isn’t perfect and working for the paper has opened my eyes to a lot of issues I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. I’m grateful for my time at the school but I also hope to see some of these issues be resolved in the near future.
I also hope to see the paper get more respect within the school. A struggle I’ve had has been to get in touch with those above me when I need help. Some emails have been ignored and as of now, the Vanguard has been operating without an advisor, which makes my job, but also just creating the paper, more difficult. I hope in the future, the paper can be more of a priority so that we can operate to our full potential.
None of this, of course, would be possible without the incredible staff that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I’ve had the best luck when it came to finding an editorial staff. It took awhile to get it right but now I’m confident that I’m leaving the paper in the best hands.
The last few years have been filled with ups and downs. All the way from adapting to a new normal after COVID to dealing with the idea of print not being as popular as it once was. But it was ups and downs I wouldn’t trade for the world, even all of the very early Sunday mornings.
Looking back, I don’t think I would do anything differently. I think all of the decisions and ideas brought the paper to where it is and while there’ll always be work to do, I’m happy with the direction things are headed. I think the paper has been stuck at a turning point for awhile and is finally making that decision.
All in all, I think the paper is finally back on track after being hit hard by COVID. I think it has the potential to do some great things moving forward. I think it’s in the hands of the right people.
I’ll miss spending all of my free time there, creating story assignments, editing, and handling all of the bureaucratic messes. Thank you to my staff but also the readers for growing with me and watching the paper change.
For the very last time,
The Vanguard Editor-in-Chief.
