When I was first elected to be editor-in-chief of The Hofstra Chronicle, many of the friends I’d made were writing their senior send-offs – letters written by the seniors of the Chronicle that are to be published in their last issue. They all complained about how difficult it was to write and how they procrastinated until the final hour. I thought, that’s not gonna be a problem for me.
Now I’m writing it, and I’m thinking, Sophia Guddemi was right.
It’s so difficult because I have to somehow condense millions of words into just a few hundreds of words to describe how much I’ve loved my time at the Chronicle.
It started with Zoe, our graduating Features editor, and I going to an Opinion section meeting. I envisioned the Chronicle office as a huge office full of people. When I walked in, our now cramped office looked, very large and empty.
The Opinion editor, Ethan, was sitting alone, so I assumed we were early. We weren’t. Only one other person showed up that week. This trend continued throughout the semester, but it was so easy to get our articles in print that I just kept showing up and writing. Eventually, Ethan asked if I’d like to be the assistant editor. Of course, I said yes. This led to my later promotion to co-editor, and eventually my running for secretary of the Chronicle. And my inevitable addition of a journalism minor.
Before I knew it, I was running for editor-in-chief, and the Opinion section had a historic turnout of 22 people at a budget meeting with the writers petitioning for their articles to make it into print.
I think the most important thing I’ve taken away from my time at the paper is the friendships I’ve made. Ethan has been such a strong supporter of mine and an advocate for me, both in and outside the newsroom. While we butt heads like siblings, he’s taught me to chill out and let the waves take you through the ebbs and flows. Even though he won’t take his own advice.
When we began seeing more writers come to meetings, there was a feeling of genuine excitement and pride that I will always remember. Those writers have turned out to be some great friends, too. Ryan, Tim and Tom – or “the boys” – began coming to each budget meeting with a palpable sense of curiosity and passion. They’ve also written some of the best articles I’ve ever edited.
When we had the inkling that I could be elected editor-in-chief, we put out assistant applications. Prior to this, most sections would take on one or two assistants max. We put out applications, the boys all applied and all interviewed. At the end of the interviews, I looked at Ethan and said, “We have to hire them all.” And so, we did. And now I’ve watched with sisterly pride as Ryan was elected next year’s managing editor and Tim the business manager.
I’ve also really grown up with the people in the office. I watched Frankie, our current managing editor, go from quiet and reserved to one of the greatest presences in any room he steps into. I’ve watched writers be promoted to editors and share their work with me with pride. I watched Zoe run a section on her own and persevere towards perfection.
I feel I’ve pushed our editors to strive for their best, despite probably ruffling some feathers on the way, and I can only hope they appreciate that – despite my bluntness. At the end of the day, I know that our editors are some extremely talented people who never fail to amaze me. It’s not easy to edit countless articles and work with InDesign, so kudos.
There have been many Monday nights doing layout where my eyes burned from reading the paper until three in the morning when I just wanted to go to bed. But the eye bags and lost hair were made up by the laughs and accomplishments we’ve experienced in room 203.
I also must thank our faculty advisor, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations, Brian McFadden. Along with being a great advisor, he has also listened to me rant and always provides some sound advice and comic relief. Without him, we’d be fighting for dear life. And we’d have no layout night snacks (thanks Brian!).
Throughout my time as editor-in-chief, we revamped our website and increased web outreach, doubled our staff, fundraised and produced some great work. Thank you to Anna and Julian, our past editor in chief and managing editor, for paving the way towards our success. They deserve all of the credit.
Most importantly, thank you to the Chronicle for changing the trajectory of my life. I don’t know where I’d be without the friends I’ve made.
Before the Chronicle, I had about one friend at Hofstra. I’ve now found a whole family.
