At the end of high school, I played in the pit orchestra while my friend performed in our school’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” We held a “senior psych circle” to hype ourselves up and say some parting words before our last performance. My friend’s closing words have stuck with me since.
“Now I’m going to leave the circle,” she said. “And the hardest part is leaving the circle.”
The pit orchestra was a one-off activity for me, but now I know what my friend meant. As graduation looms, I am going to leave Room 203 of the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center: the office for The Hofstra Chronicle. And the hardest part is leaving Room 203.
It took me entirely too long to gain the confidence to start writing for the Chronicle. I was already three semesters into school when I finally talked myself into it. I had to start somewhere, right? At that point, I didn’t envision moving up to an editor position. I was actually quite content to remain a quiet writer who mostly kept to herself. Spring 2024 me would be shocked to know that Fall 2025 me would be writing one of these and thinking that she should’ve gotten involved sooner.
I feel like I’ve lived eight lives in Room 203. Amidst whatever might’ve been going on outside, the Chronicle remained a constant, an escape. It was a place of purpose and belonging.
There was no anticipating the community I would find in that room. Every person I’ve worked with, especially as I became an assistant editor and then an editor, has had an impact. A wonderful, memorable impact. High school often felt like a judgmental place. College meant unlearning the habits I’d built to protect myself from that judgment. The Chronicle community made that pretty easy.
I’ve learned so much at the Chronicle. Professionally, it gave me the opportunity to build so many different skills and deal with a variety of topics, sometimes giving me real dilemmas of journalistic ethics to face. Personally, I grew significantly. My time with the Chronicle strengthened my leadership, confidence, decisiveness and taught me how to take pride in a job done well. Above all, it taught me about myself and my voice, as a journalist and beyond. I became a better version of myself in Room 203.
There was a time when I thought sports broadcasting was the route I wanted to take with my future, and that’s what solidified my choice to attend Hofstra University. The merit of the program and facilities made Hofstra an obvious destination. As I started to pivot toward print news, that decision continued to prove itself to be the right one. The Chronicle was a major reason why. Its history speaks for itself, and the student journalists behind the work are truly amazing people. I feel so honored to have been a part of this incredible organization, even if it was for a fairly short time.
I have so many people here to thank before I leave Room 203. To our faculty advisor, Brian McFadden, thank you for your guidance and for being a sounding board in times of frustration. To Professor Carol Fletcher, thank you for some of your first words in JRNL 011 back in the Fall 2023, “By the end of this class, you’ll know if journalism is for you.” I did learn that journalism was for me, and you set me on the very newsy path that I’ve been on ever since. Thank you to Professor Scott Brinton for helping me strengthen my skills in so many different parts of journalism and for working with me during a difficult semester.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, thank you to Giovanni Salsa for your confidence in me and your constant encouragement. Thank you to Camryn Bowden for your trust in me and for all those goofy times at the news computer. Moriah Sukhlal, thank you for the warm welcome and guidance you gave me as a writer and later as an editor. Lily Spinda, thank you for the chat in the spring of 2025 that readied me for the rest of my Chronicle journey.
To Joe Orovitz, Christine Acuña, Shaina Skeen, Mari Steele and Anthony Favilla, I will greatly miss our chaotic yet educational photography Fridays. Craig Mannino, our spring news meeting chats were always something to look forward to. I appreciate all the times you hyped me up about getting an internship and a job.
Gabe Prevots and Veronica N. Wakefield, I am so glad I met both you wonderful people. Whether it was accidentally creating a new bit or giggling over a funny anecdote, I really enjoyed the time we spent together in the News section. I know you’ll both do great work. Tim Daly, I’m glad I got to work with you this semester as co-business managers. We had our share of laughs and stresses, but we figured it out.
Natalia Rivera and Mark Lussier, it was truly a pleasure to work with you both this semester and watch your skills improve. I can’t wait to see what you both do going forward.
Katelyn Buchalter, never lose your spark. The ambition you’ve shown and the initiative you’ve taken this semester have been incredible. I am delighted that I got to spend my last semester at Hofstra with you in our section.
Sahana Shastry, you are the embodiment of kindness, team spirit and passion. It has been awesome working alongside you this semester. We’ve had some really fun moments that will make me laugh forever.
Madeline Sisk, having you to lean on during my time as an editor at the Chronicle has been huge. Thank you for your guidance to the News section and thank you for making me take a step back when I needed it.
Kat Gladkowski and Kyle Kolber, thank you for being such great friends. You’re both huge parts of my Hofstra experience, and I am so grateful to have you in my life.
Kumba Jagne, I’m so glad I met you and so grateful to call you my friend. We’ve had some awesome times and made some great memories – I can’t wait to make more. You’ve made my last two semesters so much fun. I’ll miss talking to you for hours in the office.
It’s been an amazing time at the Chronicle. But now I’m closing the door to Room 203 and heading over to Herald Community Newspapers. Thank you to all of you, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
