Coming into college, when I looked four years ahead and visualized my eventual graduation, I definitely didn’t picture this. Quarantining thousands of miles away from Hofstra and taking online classes, far from friends that I’ve built exceptionally close bonds with, it’s obviously not at all not the way I ever would’ve wanted my last few months as a college student to transpire. Yet, the three-and-a-half-year process until this point wasn’t all that accurate with what I imagined it would be either. It was much better.
As a former athlete who couldn’t care less about anything other than football throughout my life, much less academics, I knew college would be an endeavor that would force me to push myself beyond limits I hadn’t really tried outside of the athletic world. As a student who cruised through high school with B’s and C’s, I didn’t exactly know how I would benefit from giving my all academically, but I did know that if I gave even 75% of the determination and work ethic that I dedicated to football, I had to be successful in this area as well. It turns out, as an honors college graduate, graduating magna cum laude with a 3.82 GPA to pair with internships at NBC, SiriusXM and CBS, I was right. What I didn’t know however, was that what I would gain by applying myself as a college student would be way more than just academic and extracurricular success. It would allow me to discover exactly who I am and build relationships that I’ll carry with me far beyond college.
As a wide-eyed freshman knowing I had to leave my mark, I strived to get involved with everything I could as a journalism major with the eventual goal of being a sports analyst. I joined and contributed to WRHU Radio Hofstra University, Hofstra Entertainment Access Television (HEAT) Network and The Hofstra Chronicle. As professional experiences with major corporations began to pile on to each other and stray my attention further away from most on-campus organizations, the one organization that never wavered in my priorities was The Hofstra Chronicle. From the jump, beginning as a staff writer in September of 2016, I leaped at every opportunity to write, knowing that getting started was the hardest part and that I would constantly improve with every one of my bylines that showed up in the paper. Some articles I was prouder of than others, but I knew that the more I wrote and the better I became, the greater the opportunity was to grow my role within the paper.
When I was asked to apply for assistant sports editor, I didn’t hesitate, knowing that I would join a team consisting of seniors who I had been trying to gain the respect of since day one. The current sports editors at the time, Kevin Carroll and PJ Potter, were two people I looked up to greatly. When I was given the role to be their assistant, I was ecstatic, knowing how much value I had just gained solely by being on the editorial board for The Hofstra Chronicle and having the opportunity to work with some of the most capable journalists any college has to offer.
From spending that semester learning the tools of the trade, to spending the next two years serving as sports editor, one thing was for sure: I never stopped learning, and that’s the thing I am most grateful for today. I didn’t just improve my writing and learn how to edit, lay out and publish our section of the paper, I also learned how to become a leader, both vocally and by example, with every meeting of every week being another chance to lead a team of writers to publish the highest quality content in the paper.
The fruits of my growth were displayed within the development of the writers and assistant editors themselves, each week producing better content, learning and taking the guidance that my co-editors and I provided.
I’m extremely appreciative of being able to go through my progression within The Chronicle beside Alex Licata, who was brought on as an assistant at the same time that I was, giving me an incredibly talented partner to develop alongside. From there, to seeing the development of our own assistant editors we brought on through the years – Chris Detwiler, Anthony Roberts, David Lazar and most recently Mike Senatore – has been a wholesome experience. Each have exponentially developed in their own ways, with individual skillsets that when brought together, create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
I absolutely love the dynamic relationships I’ve built with other members of the editorial board, that although professional, have been just as spiritually rewarding as any relationship I’ve built outside of The Chronicle. My admiration for co-workers, such as our current Editor-In-Chief Taylor Clarke, is one that exemplifies that. Week after week, I see the tremendous amount of work and the outstanding quality of content she puts forth, knowing the perfect balance between being a leader and a co-worker, and applying this awareness in the most effective way possible.
The effect has very visibly trickled down into every section of the paper, resulting in the best overall paper that The Chronicle has seen, a statement I’ve heard from many people in various different settings. Most importantly, however, Taylor is someone I know I can count on in a multitude of personal, and professional, situations. I don’t know how many people can say that regarding peers within their workplace.
Looking back on it, as someone whose main intent as a young freshman was to get involved with any activity that would build my resume as a journalist, the combination of all these assets has given me much more – something I could only have experienced in one place, and that’s The Hofstra Chronicle.
I hate that this is the way that us seniors are forced to walk out. It’s not what any of us deserved. But now more than ever, I can appreciate the entirety of what my college experience has brought me over the span of four years, and I know that the impact it has had on me will last forever.
