Wait, I Have to Write a Headline?
Sam Murphy ‘24 and Lauryn Starke ‘23 reporting at the inauguration of President Kevin C. Weinman. Photo by Madison Lisowski ‘23
A Sarcastic Goodbye from the Editor-in-Chief
For the last month or more, I’ve told anyone who would listen, “I am so done!” I fully stand by that sentiment because this has been by far the most challenging, time-consuming and demanding year of my college career. However, I would be wrong to say that it has also not been the most dynamic, rewarding and best year of my time in college.
As I write this letter, trying to find the right way to summarize my four years at Marist College with the perfect combination of sarcasm, honesty and sincerity that I can muster, it’s hard to find the exact tone I want to represent this time. When I got to Marist in August 2020, it sucked. There’s not many other ways to put it, and I think most people in the class of 2024 would agree with and understand what I’m saying. Not being able to socialize in a normal college way, having to wear masks, not being allowed more than three people in your dorm room at once and many other things made adjusting to college really difficult… on top of the fact that a transition to college is hard no matter how many global pandemics are going around.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but the thing that helped me throughout all four years was the Circle. I remember anxiously sitting at my freshman desk in front of my computer, waiting for the Zoom to start, which would be my first-ever Circle meeting. I got to hear Sarah Lynch ‘21 and the whole 2020-21 board talk about the Circle and get an introduction to the group that I would spend the most time with for the next four years. Coming in, I knew journalism was the road I would go down, and the Circle would be the car I’d drive along it. I didn’t imagine how much it would mean to me by the end and how much my college experience would not be the same without the Circle.
While it was rocky, my first year on the paper helped me learn about Marist and find a place at the college. From email and phone interviews to writing about vaccine clinics and constantly checking the COVID dashboard, whether it was for a story or just for my own personal knowledge of how close an outbreak was – all that provided structure in a year where everything kept changing.
I remember walking the back stairs of Leo when I got the email from Greta asking if I wanted to become the Campus News Editor and being so honored and happy that I could quickly take on an editorial role. Again, I didn’t realize it in the moment, but holding that position really helped me learn about the College and realize how much was going on as we slowly grew out of the pandemic year. My time at the Circle has led to great experiences and a lot of growth as a writer as I’ve covered many different topics, from the inauguration of a president to car break-ins on campus, breaking news and much more.
During my spring semester of junior year, I went abroad to Madrid, Spain, which was the time of my life as I spent way too much money on one-euro tacos and really-not-one-euro soccer tickets, but that time away from the Circle also made me realize how much the paper had become a part of my identity at Marist and how much I cared for the success of journalism at the College.
Looking back on this wild year as Editor-in-Chief of the paper, I’m grateful for all the paper has done for me. I’m proud of what we accomplished this year, shedding light on important stories, answering students’ questions and trying to make a difference.
To Lauryn Starke ‘23 and Greta Stuckey ‘23 (also Madison Lisowski ‘23), thank you for your help and guidance and for showing me all that the Circle can be. Thank you for not getting mad at my articles coming in after midnight on a consistent basis, and thank you for believing in me to take on this role as Editor-in-Chief. You guys were absolutely right that the first issue was hell, and then somehow, I really don’t know how, it became second nature.
To Emily Stellakis ‘24 and Sasha Tuddenham ‘24, thank you for all your help in the fall semester. Thank you for caring just as much as I did to make the paper strong and appreciating all my sarcastic quips. Also, thanks a lot for jumping ship.
To Erin-Leigh Hoffman ‘24 and Emma Denes ‘25, thank you for stepping in when we needed you this spring. I hope I gave you a good understanding of how fun your Mondays would become every other week, and I appreciate you all understanding my probably not English texts.
To Mackenzie Boric ‘24 and Andrew Breen ‘25, thank you for holding down your section so well this year. I know there were a lot of late nights editing and “Ok thank you for your effort” texts from me, but I really do appreciate all you did to make sure that we didn’t face plant.
Ava Battinelli ‘26 and Benjamin “Bleeds” Leeds ‘26, thank you for stepping up when I asked. You both have bright futures in journalism, and I can’t wait to see what you can do with the Circle and beyond.
To Anaiya Bobo ‘24, Rebekah Hendricks ‘24, Jamie Holzmann ‘25, Hannah Tone ‘26, Lea Papakosmas ‘26, Emma Gaecklein ‘26 and Audrey Hansen ‘27, thank you all for your efforts to make the paper run as smoothly as it can, and I wish you all the best as you continue with the Circle and journalism.
Amanda Nessel ‘25 and Angie Ruiz ‘27, you are the backbone of this paper. Without the work you do, there would be no paper. Thank you for always being flexible and helping us put out the cleanest product we can issue after issue.
I would be incredibly remiss not to mention another huge part of my Marist and journalism career for the last four years: Center Field. Being a part of that publication has been another great joy of my time in college, and seeing how much we’ve grown is truly inspiring. Some of the best sports journalists are now going to come out of Poughkeepsie, New York, and there’s no doubt about it. To Luke Sassa ‘25 and Dan Aulbach ‘25, thank you for allowing me to join your staff this year. It was truly an amazing time. Danny, Jimmy, Aidan, Marley, Tai, Cara, Jaylen and Bleeds, thank you all for everything you did to make Center Field great and to make my Mondays at 3:30 a blast.
For all the students I’ve been lucky enough to work with, there are multiple professors without whom I would not be where I am today. Dr. Kevin Lerner and Jeffrey Basinger, who stepped up as our faculty advisors this semester, your steady presence and willingness to answer questions and give advice when needed were invaluable this year. Leander Schaerlaeckens, whom I’ve had for multiple classes and still have not gotten tired of his dry humor, thank you so much for all your advice, help and editing. Dr. Zach Arth, thank you for being a natural teacher who can make students want to come to class every day and ensure that each class is fun and has some learning, but that is a choice, and college is all about choices. Kathy McNulty, the lessons you taught me about being a journalist I will keep with me throughout my career, and will always appreciate having learned from you.
Thank you all for engaging me in conversation as I loitered by your offices as a form of procrastination.
Emma, our next Editor-in-Chief, if there’s anything I want to say, it is that you wholeheartedly deserve this role. I cannot think of anyone who will be more willing to put in the time and effort that it takes to make this paper great. I wish you all the best and as little headaches as possible, but there will be multiple.
I’m not sure what I have left to say except thank you to whoever is still reading this. All these nights staring at Google Drive files would be completely meaningless without you, so thanks!
I hope you enjoyed this attempt at a sarcastic, heartfelt letter.
¡Y ya está!