One of the very first things I did when I walked on to this campus nearly four years ago was ask how I could be part of The Charger Bulletin. I was very involved with my high school newspaper, and I’ve always known that after college, I wanted to pursue a career in journalism.

I remember my first staff meeting. It was in the faculty dining room in the lower-level of Bartels and I remember being very nervous as I sat and waited for the meeting to start. I can still hear Liz Field, the Editor-in-Chief at that time, talking about how she wanted more people to start writing news. I signed up for an article about marijuana use on campus and left the meeting excited to work on something for a college paper.
That marijuana story was on the front page, and from the moment that I saw it sitting under The Charger Bulletin masthead, I knew that it’d be my goal from that day forward to become the Editor-in-Chief of the paper by my senior year.

It’s hard to believe that I actually made my dream come true.

These past three years have had their ups and downs, but The Charger Bulletin has always been a constant. No matter what was going on in my life, I knew that I’d be able to look forward to writing weekly articles, copy editing on Monday nights, and reading the paper every Wednesday. This year, as Assistant Editor, I dedicated more of my time to working on the paper than I did on my own school work at times; I know that seems silly, but The Charger Bulletin always remained a priority.

I’m so excited to take this next step in my life and take over the reigns as Editor-in-Chief. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this—staff reporter, copy editor, opinion editor, Assistant Editor and now Editor—without the help of Sam Mathewson, Liana Teixeira and Elizabeth Field. Liz and Liana gave me the first push I needed to get involved and stay involved with the paper. Liana has always given me the encouragement I needed to succeed since the very first day. I’ve known and worked with Sam since my first semester with The Charger Bulletin, and growing as a writer with her has been a privilege. I know that Sam will go on to do amazing thing in the real world of journalism and I loved being able to work with her for the past three years.

I’d also like to congratulate Sami Higgins, who will be Assistant Editor next year. Sami has worked so hard since she started at the paper and she’s always been such a dedicated staff member. I’ve watched Sami grow as a staff writer and a person and I can’t think of anyone who’s more deserving of this position. I look forward to working with her next year!