A little over three years ago I walked into the newspaper office, notebook and pencil in hand, for the first meeting I would ever attend as an employee of “The Bengal.”
I was fresh out of high school, a little unsure about journalism and scared to death of Dr. Tom Terry, our guest speaker for the day.
In a little over a week I’ll be fresh out of ISU, slightly less unsure about journalism and still pretty terrified of Dr. Terry, to be perfectly honest. But my time at the newspaper since then has shaped my college experience in the best ways.
As News editor my freshman year, I was forced way outside of my comfort zone. Tracking down professors, ISU staff and fellow students for interviews was nerve-wracking (I made my roommates walk me to the office of my first interviewee), but it was also a great way to network on campus. I’m grateful to have contacts and acquaintances in numerous ISU agencies (and thoroughly surprised that any of them still talk to me after enduring my early awkward interview skills).
As Editor-in-Chief my junior and senior years, I was able to bond closely with my adviser, Jerry Miller, and the team members who made the newspaper possible and worthwhile.
I have to admit, after almost four years at ISU and “The Bengal,” I have reservations about moving on. There are few people who have seen me at my worst the way my coworkers have.
Whether stressed to the point of tears, fuming with rage or crying with laughter, I’ve been able to depend on my fellow Bengal staffers to listen to my crazed rants or laugh right alongside me. That, and drop 10-plus “Mean Girls” references into a 10-minute conversation.
That’s part of what makes leaving so difficult. It’s hard to realize that this group of people won’t be there for the remainder of my journalistic pursuits.
On top of that, there’s no way to depart without feeling like I’m leaving unfinished business behind.
I think I could stay here through several more bachelor’s degrees and still never feel like I was able to take the newspaper to its full potential.
Still, I’m proud of the strides made in design and content during my time with “The Bengal.” We’ve strived to make this publication something relevant and appealing to students, and while I know there are miles to go, we’re miles from where we were at the beginning of my time here.
Now as I’m preparing to walk out of the newspaper office for the last time, I’m not sure what is left to say. I’ve poured my thoughts and hard work out into this newspaper for the past few years and yet I’m struggling to find some way to summarize the meaning this experience has had for me.
I’ll have to settle for the idea that the significance exists in the thousands of words and dozens of articles that will be archived here after I leave.
Regardless, my time at ISU has come to an end, and as I depart for Chicago I’ll keep my notebook and pencil close at hand, ready for the next step in my journalism story.
