I’ve had quite the journey over my three years (and some change) as a staff member of The Bulletin, and in a bittersweet end to my collegiate journalism career, I will pass on the torch to my dear friend and managing editor, Isabel Ayala, as I conclude my time as The Bulletin’s editor-in-chief this week.
I owe it to this newspaper for shaping me into the journalist that I have become, and I would have never found my calling without it. Had it not been for Mason Hart, another dear friend and former Bulletin EIC, asking me to return my sophomore year, the trajectory of my life wouldn’t be the same. I began my time at Emporia State wanting to work in victim advocacy — I leave with a passion for not just pursuing truth but for telling the important stories, the stories that matter and those with people at the center.
I leave ESU a completely different woman than I arrived, and The Bulletin is to thank for that.
To my amazing staff, this newspaper would not be possible without you. I am forever grateful for the work you have put in this year and the growth you aspired to achieve each day. We have done so many amazing things together, and The Bulletin has been made better by the mark all of you have left on it and many of you will continue to leave into the next academic year. I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of you.
Thank you for letting me teach you about journalism, about the audience and what it means to serve our community. Thank you for teaching me about what it means to be a leader, to go into each day trying to be better than the day before and what it truly means to work with a team.
As my last Bulletin cohort, you will forever carry a special place in my heart.
To Isabel, you are not just a colleague or one of my dearest friends. You are my sister. Working with you has been one of the greatest joys of my life, and I could not have asked for a better person to lead our team with. I leave knowing that The Bulletin is in good hands with you at its helm.
I admire the vision you have for the future of The Bulletin and the action steps you’ve already put in place to achieve it. I cannot wait to see what you do, where you go and how this paper blooms with you in charge. I have no doubt that you will help this newspaper flourish in the way it has always been meant to.
It will be no easy feat, but it will be worth every second.
And finally, to our readers, from the bottom of my heart: thank you. Thank you for pushing me to be better, to do better and giving me a reason to be the best journalist I can possibly be. Thank you for letting me into your world and trusting me to be your news source for all things ESU.
ESU students, always remember that this newspaper is for you. It is your voice. The minute it fails to report on the issues that impact you most and hold power to account across campus, it no longer serves the purpose for which it was intended.
It is because of my duty to you, your unwavering support, the accountability and the feedback that you’ve shared that I have been able to continue doing what I love. In the years to come, I implore you to speak up and to never be scared of holding The Bulletin or its reporters accountable.
You are our ‘why’ and we are accountable to you.
