My First and Last Column

Wow, my first and last column for The Carroll News. Are you as excited as I am for this? If I had the time and space in the Campus section, I would have written about so many things. For instance, I would have written about how the loaves of bread in the cafeteria are open for students to just take and it made me feel like part of a family where food is openly shared. Or perhaps I could have written about gender inequality and how they do not sell quality work boots for women. Maybe I could have even written about the future of journalism and how I prefer to hold a paper in my hands than read off of a glowing screen. But for this column, I suppose I will just have to publish a little about the newspaper and a few well-deserved thank yous.

I usually tell people that I came into the newsroom as a copy editor and I just never left. I can still remember sitting on the couch checking pages for grammar mistakes while our adviser, Bob Noll, would talk to me about moving up through the ranks at the paper. I did not quite believe him at the time, but then my first article appeared on page 2 about technology issues on campus. After I saw my name in print, I was hooked.

I suppose the writing paid off because I was then moved up to assistant editor for the Campus section and for the last two years, I have been the Campus editor.

Letting go of this position seemed like a weight off of my shoulders, until my last deadline night. I realized that the computer I had sat in front of as I zoomed in to fix that quarter inch of space between the picture and text box, had become a part of me. That area was my home for two nights a week. It was a place where I swore at InDesign when it, “quit unexpectedly” and laughed with my co-editors when we realized we were going to be there for another four hours.

I have had many co-editors who each taught me something different about the paper. I learned how to use InDesign, that it is okay to have a little fun on deadline night, and that I need to have confidence in myself and go after the big stories. So to Madeline, Anthony, Carly, and Abrial, thank you all for taking time to be a part of the Campus section, my experience would not have been the same without all of you.

Now I have to take a moment to go back in the Carroll News history to give a thank you to the former editor-in-chief Alex Higl. Even as a sophomore staff reporter, I was less than confident in what I wrote. But she gave me the support I needed. She showed her pride in my progression as a writer and pushed me towards success. Even after she became an alumna, she was still there for guidance and it is to her that I owe at least in part, my love for journalism.

Being on staff for four years allowed me to interact with several cycles of staff members. The deadline nights would not have been the same without the stories and jokes from editors, which I diligently wrote on post-it notes and displayed for all of the newsroom to see.

The editor I formed the closest bond with is my friend Julie Hullett. She came to the Campus section as an assistant editor and quite frankly, she rocked at it. I was always excited to go to the newsroom and teach her another trick of the trade. She was an amazing student and an even better friend. She kept me sane on some of the hectic deadline nights with her stories, her laugh, and her many catchphrases such as, “Slay me,” “What a rat,” and her patented, “Mhhhmm.” With her talent and determination I knew she couldn’t last at Campus for long. She is now the managing editor and I could not be happier for her. She is such a strong leader and I know she will do the paper justice. I hope she can look back at our glory days at Campus and remember her Little Laura.

One more shout out goes to the people who read The Carroll News on a weekly basis, especially avid readers like the grounds crew members, who always have a copy of the paper in the garage. I still smile when someone tells me they read the paper that week and it does my heart good to hear someone say they never miss an issue. I know that even after I graduate, I too will never miss an issue.