It is tough to say goodbye. These past two years at the Daily Emerald have been nothing short of professional growth, leadership opportunities and new friendships. I have been fortunate enough to be among the silliest and smartest people I have ever met and I can’t wait to see where everyone is going to end up.
Ever since I was little, I loved creative writing, drawing, watching old movies and visiting museums. I was determined to not look at life in a mundane way and I thrived on finding hobbies that kept me busy. I may have annoyed some of my family and friends by dragging them to new places, restaurants or shops, but even then I knew I was curious about the world.
My passion for storytelling stemmed from my grandfather. He was a previous journalist at his local paper and he liked to reminisce with me of his stories of interviews at the Academy Awards, writing restaurant reviews and meeting with famous writers. I was fascinated by how his profession could take him in many directions and I knew I wanted to do something similar.
When I joined the School of Journalism and Communication during my sophomore year, the doors of opportunity opened for me. I immersed myself in different creative suite software, social media platforms and various writing and editing styles. Professors Mark Furman, Damian Radcliffe and Brent Walth had the biggest impact on me in my time here. They all taught me to go above and beyond with my story production by messing around with different technologies and research tools.
I found the Daily Emerald through Grace Murray– my former Arts and Culture desk editor– who encouraged me to apply during one of our UO Journalist/Photographer Exploration Group meetings. I immediately gravitated toward the A&C desk when I was looking through the application portal. I thought it would give me a chance to explore Eugene and meet people who I would not interact with tête-à-tête. Once hired, I was assigned the environment beat, but I was also able to write about local businesses, art exhibitions, fashion and food-related stories.
My first year as a reporter at the Daily Emerald in 2021-2022 was fully virtual, but my editors Sarah-Mae McCullough, Grace Murray and Nika Bartoo-Smith were determined for us to get to know our desk. All three of them were great journalists to look up to while I was a reporter because they truly were passionate about what they were doing. Getting hold of sources was challenging in the beginning, but I had a lot of support from my team by learning how to find them through cold calls, emails and social media outreach. I felt proud calling myself a journalist by the end of my first term.
When I took on the role of print managing editor in June 2022, I was confident in my abilities to help my colleagues with their needs. My Editor-in-Fhief and friend Hannarose McGuinness had my back throughout the year and allowed me to grow in this managerial role by taking charge of story edits, print planning, visual brainstorms and day-to-day operations between editors. I am super proud of the work we produced this year and how we remained positive despite our long hours in the newsroom alongside our friend Design Editor Liz Blodgett.
I would also like to thank all my editor and pro staff friends who have made my experience feel super fulfilling. I am proud that we were all able to build a strong community this year. I can’t wait to see what my successor Emma J. Nelson will bring to the print managing role and how they will innovate the paper. I am looking forward to reading the Daily Emerald for years to come. Best of luck to the incoming staff!
