Senior send-off: Anyway, don't be a stranger

Jacob Lewis/The Hofstra Chronicle

I wouldn’t have believed for even a minute that I would close my time at Hofstra running The Chronicle. At the beginning of quarantine, my mom asked me if I was going to get more involved in the paper. It was the second semester of my sophomore year, and I was pretty convinced I’d missed the opportunity to snag an assistant position or climb any sort of rank beyond being a staff writer. Come May of that semester, I had joined the editorial board as an assistant in the Features section. The last year and a half has been a whirlwind, but my time at Hofstra has truly been better thanks to The Chronicle.

I didn’t start my time at Hofstra in the school of communication. I found my way to the Herbert School following a semester-long stint as a drama major. Theater was an important part of my life for 10 years, but I realized somewhat quickly that it was time for that chapter to close. My first experience with journalism was during my senior year of high school, where I was a student theater critic for The Cappies. I hated it. It probably was due to the fact that I was driving across my home county to review mediocre high school theatre productions, but it was not my thing. A year later, I was writing almost exclusively for The Chronicle’s Arts & Entertainment section. Turns out it’s a lot easier to write about things when you actually enjoy them.

I was extremely intimidated by the paper prior to joining it. It seemed like the most legit thing you could be involved in, and I had no clue who to talk to or where to start. I’m so glad I did find those “right people” to reach out to. From writing for A&E to Opinion, News and Features, I’ve loved my time with The Chronicle and the people I’ve met along the way.

I want to take some time and thank Jess and Vis for being the best team these last ~six months. Late nights in the office, budget catastrophes and other general nonsense have been far more enjoyable thanks to your humor and support. I will miss the constant of coming into the office and knowing I will see one or both of you (BTW we still need to get hot pot or something).

To Drashti for humoring my millions of questions and being endlessly kind.

A huge thank you to the professors and other organizations on campus that made my time here so much more positive and fulfilling. Thank you to Professor Brian McFadden for all your support as faculty advisor to The Chronicle, the layout night snacks and the class I always look forward to attending. I’m bummed I didn’t find my way to media studies sooner. Thank you to Professor Carol Fletcher and Dr. Andrea Libresco for being wonderful teachers and for the support over these last couple years. Thank you to the past and present members of Zeta Phi Eta and everyone at the Center for Civic Engagement. You have all made my time at Hofstra worthwhile.

Coming into my time as Editor-in-Chief, I was terrified. Having next to no experience with the layout nights of pre-pandemic times, I was convinced I was going to screw up. After the first issue, I realized I was overthinking everything (as I usually do). The process for exporting and uploading were not as daunting as they seemed on paper. Seeing the creation of the paper all the way through is so rewarding, even if it means getting home at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday. I wouldn’t trade this past semester for anything. I know this paper is only going to continue to grow and thrive, and I am so excited to see what you all do next.