I vividly remember my first 1851 Chronicle meeting as a freshman. Professor Marie Franklin held up a copy of the campus police report. “This is a hard-hitting news story, and we need a strong writer for the front page,” she said. I raised my hand and said, “I’ll take it.” Her hand met mine, still raised, while the other placed the report on the table in front of me.
Throughout my four years at Lasell, I rose through the ranks, bookended by staff writer as a freshman and managing editor as a senior, with stints as various section editors and copy editor in between. During layout week, when we polished and placed stories into the newspaper template, was where it all came together – literally and figuratively. We produced a newspaper, of course, but we also built our portfolios for future internship and job interviews. The Chronicle was tangible proof of experience in my field.
When I applied to internships as a junior, I was set on one position: an intern in Communications at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the most prestigious medical facilities in Boston and in the country. There, I’d be writing for their many publications, including Inside the Institute (ITI), Dana-Farber’s newspaper of record for patients and staff. In my interview, I found that my strongest skill set was built on the foundation of the Chronicle. Not only could I tell my supervisor-to-be that I was familiar with the publishing process, but I could show them. I proudly gave copies of the Chronicle to the Dana-Farber Communications team, confident that what I could offer was valuable and necessary.
Eventually, days in the classroom end and our workdays begin. Once graduation day ends and the cap and gown come off, students are now the owners of the one thing my parents have always said that no one can take away – their education. College positions us for the privilege of workdays, and Lasell’s Connected Learning philosophy is at the core of that preparation. That’s why the Chronicle is such a gem. Students apply what’s learned in the classroom into the greater world through projects that show their expertise to employers – an opportunity unique to Lasell and its teaching philosophy.
I got the internship at Dana-Farber. Not only that, but in May 2023, I joined the Communications team as a senior communications specialist and editor of ITI, a publication I wrote for during my Lasell days. ITI is monthly, just like the Chronicle, and the workflow – from assigning stories and writing and editing to collaborating with our graphic designers on layout – is reminiscent of staff meetings in Winslow and late, bagel-and-coffee-driven layout nights in the Campus Center. It was a gift of an experience and one that I hope all Lasell students can receive. The Chronicle needs the support of the Lasell community in the form of engaged readership, dedicated faculty mentorship, and continued funding, and students deserve every Connected Learning opportunity that this publication grants.