College without student media never crossed my mind. There’s something special and unique about a group of students taking ownership of a product and coming to work each night to create journalism.
The editor-in-chief’s job is one that can’t be taken lightly. Sitting as a reporter for the first time three years ago and learning from other students who had been where I’d been — that moment marks the genesis of my relationship with this remarkable group of designers, photographers and the most interesting know-it-alls since Hermione.
The joy in earning leadership positions in The State Press comes with a new learned culpability that doesn’t come across in most student jobs. The buck has to stop somewhere, and one of the greatest learning experiences so far in college has been spending a semester behind the desk where it lands.
This also takes a toll. Farther from both writing and graduating than anticipated, my last semester at ASU will not be spent in the office that countless editors before me sat in five evenings per week.
The editorial board is full of devoted colleagues who were excited about teaching their reporters. Above all else, a leader is someone who passes on a lesson. The newsroom is rife with relics from previous editors who wanted to leave a memory behind.
I hope there is at least one lesson, laugh or moment that I’ve made in this Tempe campus basement worthy of being carried on.
If not, I’m happy to depart knowing The State Press is larger than any one editor. It’s a legacy that we are privileged to be part of on every level.
Spring will be a new era for student media at ASU. As the news industry changes, so must a publication that’s existed for more than a century. It’s with pleasure that I see this publication pass into the hands of people who will take us where we need to go next.
