Good Luck and Farewell: Reminiscent Words From a Graduating Editor

Writing for The Trailblazer has been a crucial learning experience for me. Starting as a staff writer, I wanted to write about every idea I came up with and believed that I could.

In the beginning, I realized very quickly that every story does not always pan out the way it’s expected to. Sometimes I had to take a different angle than I had initially planned. The knowledge, skills and education I learned in the news reporting lab made me a better writer and allowed me to get first-hand experience in my future career.

From fun beginner stories such as “What to do on Weekends” to more well-developed, serious stories like “Suicide Awareness: Help is Available”, I have written a wide variety of articles and have improved my writing skills in each publication.

 Out of all my articles, the one I am most proud of writing is:” 25 Years Later: Remembering Brook Baker.” The article is about former journalism major and editor of The Trailblazer Brook Baker and the impact she left on family and friends before she passed away. It garnered a lot of attention from the community, and I was glad the story allowed people to reminisce about who she was as a person and how she impacted their lives.

The interviews and conversations I had while writing my articles have allowed me to meet new and interesting people and uncover different things about the campus that I might not have known otherwise.

After becoming the editor of The Trailblazer, I learned a lot about the responsibility that comes with the title. The hardest part for me was making decisions because I was afraid I would make the wrong one. Luckily, I had my team and professor there to help me along the way, providing the support I needed to be confident with my decisions.

As I depart from The Trailblazer, I hope the next generation of students appreciate all the resources the news lab offers, learn to hone their writing and storytelling skills, and enjoy the meaningful connections and new discoveries they make during their time on the paper.

While I am leaving behind great memories and intriguing story discussions, I am taking the genuine friendships and vital knowledge I have gained as I embark on my next adventure in the journalism industry.