Most people apply to colleges based on their academic programs or scholarship offerings, but that wasn’t the case for me. I applied to dozens of colleges for no other reason than to appease my high school guidance counselor, and truthfully, there were no schools that felt like “me” – until I found The Maroon.
Loyola seemed nice enough and going to college in New Orleans was a good perk, but my eye was set on the award-winning student newspaper.
After applying to several mass communication programs boasting their broadcast-focused courses and facilities, The Maroon’s continued effort to preserve the printed word was a breath of fresh air. In a technology-controlled world, print journalism is becoming obsolete, so when I found a school with a student-led newspaper that still believed in the value and importance of the written word, my decision was made.
I was immediately captivated by the newsroom from the moment I stepped foot in it, and I knew that I was in the right place.
And I would love to say that it was all smooth sailing from there, but that’s just not how it happened. Honestly, The Maroon chewed me up and spat me back out. It pushed me in ways I didn’t know were possible, gave me opportunities I didn’t know I wanted, and instilled a passion and appreciation for my community and covering the world around me that I didn’t yet have.
Since my freshman year, I’ve worked as opinion/editorial editor, equity and inclusion officer, design chief, managing editor for print, and recently, I announced my candidacy for editor-in-chief. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be where I am right now, I don’t know that I would’ve believed you. The Maroon may have broken me, but it also built me into the person I am today.
When I started as opinion/editorial editor, I was ripe with naivety and ambition. I was willing, and I was trying my best at everything, but some days, that never felt like enough. It was hard, and many nights, I walked home from press night with tears streaming down my face. I wanted so badly to be proud of the work that I was doing, and looking back, I should’ve been. I was doing great work; I just couldn’t see it.
As I worked my way through semesters and positions, I began to gain a deeper understanding of why The Maroon has been around the last 100 years and why we are consistently being awarded for our work. The work that we’re doing, the stories we tell, the interviews we conduct, the photos we take, the art we create, and the magic that we make every week matters. Print journalism is not obsolete in our eyes – it’s something we spend hours working toward every week, it’s something we get to proudly display on every corner of campus on each Friday, and it’s something I am incredibly honored to have my name in each week.
