Joining this paper was not something I had the intention of doing when I got here. However, as I look toward the end of my senior year, I believe it was one of the best things to have happened to me. As I sat outside Woodland Hall in the middle of Zoom class, Professor Marie Franklin, who was the advisor for the 1851 Chronicle at the time, encouraged me to join the team. I listened to Professor Franklin and soon joined a club that would provide me with some of my fondest memories in college.
Though working for the paper comes with its stresses like meeting deadlines and scheduling interviews, it has also provided me with a plethora of useful skills that will help me down the line. I’ve become a better writer, I’ve gotten better at meeting said deadlines, and I also believe my interview skills have grown as well. I’m grateful for those skills that my experiences and peers have provided, but that still doesn't compare to the laughs I was able to share with so many different faces throughout my time with the Chronicle.
Layout is the part of our process where we visually create each issue on Adobe InDesign. The hours may be long and sometimes we probably goof off a bit more than we should, but each month of layout comes with its own set of memories. I am looking forward to the new laughs that we’ll create this year, but it’s hard not to look back and enjoy the times with faces that have already departed from our staff.
Like the time Mike and I had to cut the legs off a shelf with the strings of a COVID mask to get it to fit in the office and he flicked the piece off and it hit me in the face. Or when Kaie found this ridiculous video on YouTube called “The Reebok or the Nike” and we all couldn’t stop laughing and quoting the video. You really had to be there for that one.
Some may believe that only nerds do the school newspaper, but in actuality, some of the coolest, smartest, and funniest people I’ve met have worked for the 1851 Chronicle. When I look back at my college experience, I’ll remember being in the office at 11:00 p.m. laughing my butt off with Kaie, Mike, LJ, Kait, and Becca. If it weren’t for Professor Franklin telling me to come join the 1851 Chronicle, I would’ve missed out on a lot of fun.