A Love Letter to a Newspaper, Final Thoughts from Our Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief Lauryn Starke ‘23 (left) and Managing Editor Greta Stuckey (right).
Source: Madison Lisowski ‘23.
As I sit down to write this final send-off, I can’t find the words to express how I feel — a foreign concept as a writer. Journalists are trained to write concisely, professionally and objectively, but a letter like this is meant to be much more than that. So, I will write this final piece how I’ve run the Marist Circle for the last two years — with my whole heart. This is my love letter to my newspaper, for the last chance I have to call it mine.
The first club meeting I ever went to was for the Marist Circle at 9:15 on a Tuesday night. At the time, I had no idea I wanted to be a journalist; I was just looking for a community after moving across the country to a place where I knew no one. I vividly remember watching our former Editor-in-Chief Tara Guaimano ’20 command the meeting with such confidence and charisma. I immediately knew I wanted to be just like her. Suddenly, my biggest dream for my time at Marist was to become the Editor-in-Chief of The Circle my senior year, just like Tara.
To my surprise, that dream was realized much sooner than I imagined. I’ll never forget the day Sarah Lynch ’21, The Circle’s powerhouse Editor-in-Chief in 2020-2021, called me while I visited home in Colorado at the end of sophomore year. When I picked up the phone, Sarah said, “So… how would you feel about hypothetically being Editor-in-Chief next year?” That day, Sarah gave me the most priceless gift I’ve ever received.
Since then, I’ve had the incredible privilege of leading our staff at the Marist Circle for two years instead of the traditional one. When Managing Editor Greta Stuckey ’23 and I worked on our first edition of the newspaper in the fall of 2021, it was a complete disaster. We wondered why the hell Sarah chose us when we had no idea what we were doing. Greta and I frantically scrambled to put the pages together until our now Chief of Graphic Design, Madison Lisowski ’23, swooped in to save us (something she would continue to do for the next two years).
In the last two years, I’ve seen our Circle Staff conquer every curveball sent our way and achieve amazing feats as journalists.
We continued the previous year’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, remaining an invaluable source of information for our student body as we transitioned to life post-pandemic. We served as a voice for students frustrated with conditions on campus and welcomed Marist’s new college president, Kevin C. Weinman, after decades under President Dennis J. Murray. Our staff covered sensitive topics with grace, including protests over racial injustice and the devastating war in Ukraine, the painful loss of reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the tragic death of a Marist student’s father over Family Weekend.
Our staff had the incredible opportunity to cover President Biden’s visit to IBM right here in Poughkeepsie. The Marist Circle won a Silver Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and an impressive amount of Gold Circle Awards for individual works by our dedicated staff writers.
With the help of the talented Greta Stuckey, Nicole Iuzzolino ’22 and Alejandro Bassalo ’22, we created the fifth edition of the Circle’s special initiative, For The Record, telling impactful stories from the Marist community and beyond. Despite this being the most stressful project of my college career, we managed to create something truly beautiful out of all the chaos.
There are so many people that I want to thank for making the Circle what it is; I don’t know how I can fit them all on one page.
First, I must thank the Circle’s advisor, Professor Kathleen McNulty, for her guidance these last two years. You taught us what it means to stay true to our ethical responsibilities as journalists and develop very, very thick skins. Second, Dr. Kevin Lerner, thank you for your unwavering support of student journalism and all the potential story leads sent via Twitter DMs.
Thank you to President Weinman for embracing our work at the Circle from the moment you stepped on campus. K-Dubz, you are already the coolest president this campus has seen, from letting us text you at all hours for breaking news updates to reminding us that “sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”
To my predecessors, Sarah Lynch and Tara Guaimano: words cannot describe how each of you has altered the course of my life. Tara, you were the first person to take a chance on me when you made me the Director of Multimedia in 2020. I couldn’t contain how excited I was that my biggest role model believed I could do something more. Sarah, the day you passed on your legacy to me was the greatest day of my college experience. You saw that I was capable and worthy of such an honor, even though it took me a while to see it myself. You believed in me long before I believed in myself, and I will always carry that with me.
I’m indebted to my tenacious Circle Staff, Greta Stuckey ’23, Madison Lisowski ’23, Sam Murphy ’24, Emily Stellakis ’24, Sasha Tuddenham ’24, Amanda Dibre ’23, Erin-Leigh Hoffman ’24, Amanda Nessel ‘25, Emma Denes ‘25, and Anaiya Bobo ‘23. This Editorial Board has been a force to be reckoned with. You are all curious, dedicated, honest and courageous – all the qualities of journalists ready to change the world for the better. Watching you grow as journalists and as people has been the single greatest joy of my time at Marist, and I am so proud of all of you.
Greta, I have no idea how I’m going to make it without you. You have been my rock for the last two years, and there is no one in the world I’d rather have as a partner. I can’t thank you enough for the late nights spent editing right up to deadline, re-writing my emails when I let my emotions get the best of me and keeping me sane through it all. You are the strongest and most intelligent woman I’ve met at Marist, and your commitment to our newspaper is beyond inspiring.
Madison, there would be no Marist Circle without you. You run this paper just as much as
Greta and I do; you complete our trifecta of badass female editors that print our hearts on the pages. I continue to be impressed by your dynamic work and passion for journalism every day. I thought I gained a designer when you rescued us for that first edition, but what I really gained was a best friend. It breaks my heart to close our laptops for the last time, signaling the end of an era.
I leave the Circle in the capable hands of Sam Murphy and Emily Stellakis. I have no doubt these two journalists will make their mark on the paper’s 82-year legacy. Sam and Emily, always remember that no matter what challenges come your way, we chose you for a reason. You’ll take the Circle to new heights, and I can’t wait to read all about it.
Finally, I address the Circle itself. As my staff can attest, I’ve always referred to this newspaper as my baby. It has been both my biggest headache and my greatest joy. I may be ready to graduate, but I’ll never be ready to say goodbye to this fixture in my life for the last four years. The Circle shaped my college experience and made me who I am today.
Thank you. I love you. I will never forget you.
Your Outgoing Editor-in-Chief
Lauryn Starke