Photo courtesy of Odessa Stork

I’ve tried to write this maybe six times in the past couple of days, and every time I end up lost in thought, or staring at my computer or deleting everything I have and starting over only to hate it and delete it and start over again.

I don’t know how to turn my four years of college – or my three years at The Chronicle – into a neat, cohesive story full of life lessons and funny anecdotes about friendship and growth, and every time I think about all the loss that the world has seen in the past year, I just feel swallowed whole. So, in the spirit of not forcing words that so strongly seem to wish to remain unwritten, I’ll only say what I know for sure.

1. If you’re having a weird time in college, you’re not alone. There’s no such thing as the “best years of your life.” Opportunities only ever come with setbacks, and joy only ever seems to come after things have been thoroughly awful, too. You can’t separate out the good from the bad, as tempting as it might feel to try.

2. If you haven’t found your people yet, keep looking just a little bit longer. They’re probably right around the corner. I’ve met some of my best friends through The Chronicle, and I’m so thankful that I pushed myself to get involved with this paper when I did. Good people are out there, and they care, and you deserve to meet them.

3. The career-climbing mentality that seems to dominate most college journalism programs is ridiculous and terrible. Your self-worth is not defined by your ability as a reporter, or your connections or your resume, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is probably also ridiculous and terrible. Take time to think about what it is that you want for yourself and why. Be kind to people because you want to, not because they can offer you things.

4. Write the piece you’ve been meaning to write. Vulnerability is cool and being earnest is not cringey. I didn’t write my first piece for The Chronicle until the end of my junior year in March of 2020, but the feeling of people connecting with my words was electric and I haven’t looked back since. I’m so thankful for everyone who encouraged me to keep writing and assured me that my words had value when I doubted myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I stayed afraid of putting my heart on the page and my feelings on the internet. That being said, though, not everything has to be a story, and not every lived experience has to be shared with the world or capitalized on. Sometimes our experiences are too murky to make sense of, and that’s okay, too.

5. Being a good journalist means getting with the times. In my time leading The Chronicle’s Copy Board, we’ve made strides toward more inclusive, thoughtfully-worded reporting. The norms of journalistic coverage are not set in stone; they exist to be adapted as language and culture shifts and evolves. As new generations of writers and editors take the lead at this paper, my wish is that The Chronicle continues pushing boundaries and demanding that the important stories be told with care and precision. Language matters!

To Antonia and Julia, I have no doubt that our Copy Board is in good hands with you both leading the way. I can’t wait to see what you do in the next few years and I can’t thank you enough for all the laughs, edits and friendship.

I’d also like to give a special thanks to Hofstra professors Kelly Fincham from the journalism department and Anthony Dardis from the philosophy department for believing in me and supporting my work during my time at Hofstra.

In the end, I guess it’s all just very bittersweet. The difficult parts of these past few years might sting right now, and they do, but I’ll always cherish the meaningful connections I’ve made at The Chronicle and with friends and faculty.