The 1992 USA “Dream Team.” The 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors. The 2025 spring semester Daily Free Press Editorial Board.
When I think of the best teams ever to exist, these are the first three that come to mind.
From our early-semester bowling outing to our last print night May 1, it was nothing short of amazing to see this diverse and talented group come together five days a week to not only produce high-quality, multi-platform content but also grow as a team and as individuals.
My semester as editor-in-chief of The Daily Free Press has been exciting, eventful and eye-opening.
When I walked into the office Jan. 21 for our first day of publishing, I had only written or edited sports articles. My first three semesters at The FreeP were spent as a sports writer, covering games and writing a weekly baseball column.
In spring 2024, I became sports editor, leading a team of writers to cover BU Athletics and continue to publish columns on various professional sports.
After spending last fall abroad in Dublin, Ireland, I took on the position of editor-in-chief for the spring 2025 semester.
While I may have a solid command of writing game recaps and sports columns, I knew there would be a steep learning curve in editing sections I had never worked with before.
Had it not been for my two amazing Managing Co-Editors Kayla Baltazar and Sana Muneer I never would have made it out of this semester alive. Sana’s expertise in feature articles and passion for The FreeP, along with Kayla’s knowledge in news editing and multimedia content, kept this paper afloat.
This semester, we published more than 600 articles, more than recent semesters.
Sana and Kayla were my rocks throughout the spring. I went to them for second and third opinions on literally anything, from handling requests for name removals in old articles to dealing with two simultaneous water leaks in the office.
To both Kayla and Sana, I am forever grateful.
From the moment our pre-semester meetings with each section began, I knew our work this spring would be exceptional.
In our meeting with Layout Co-Editor Jenny Chen and Graphics and Layout Co-Editor Emma Clement, I felt their clear passion for designing our monthly print editions.
That effort and thought shone through in each edition this semester, especially in our 55th Anniversary Edition. The two worked together to create a full-page graphic for the front page, paying homage to The FreeP’s 10th Anniversary Edition.
Multimedia Editor Alexis Safranko continued The FreeP’s efforts to grow on social media, increasing our Instagram following by more than 700 followers and posting two of the top three most-liked posts on The Daily Free Press’ account.
I will never forget sitting with my back to the rest of the Editorial Board and guessing who was calling my name for a TikTok — I got 18 out of 20. Alexis’ content ideas for each print night not only grew our social media presence, but also increased camaraderie in the office.
Sports Editor Gabby Church expanded the section’s coverage significantly, covering figure skating, club soccer and a track and field trip to the World Championships. I was so proud to see the section I love most add columns on professional lacrosse, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and skiing — sports not often covered by college newspapers.
Podcast Editor Andrew Lay published quality episodes recapping each week’s stories. While he may not have been in the office often, his presence was felt through the revived section. I’m excited to see where the section goes next semester, with the prospect of adding different podcast genres.
Features Editors Anna Albrecht and Charlie Dippolito excelled at covering concerts, on-campus events, research and student-run businesses. Both of them lit up the room whenever they were in the office and never failed to put a smile on everyone’s face. I loved watching the two of them run the section’s weekly pitch meeting, hyping up stories to get writers to cover them and ending meetings with a “hands in” team cheer.
Lifestyle Editor Gabriella Di Dea published more than 100 articles, including weekly columns, one-off book or movie reviews and her own recap of sophomore year.
The Lifestyle section has a different editing process than the others, and because Gabriella was so on top of her duties as editor, she technically never had to come into the office during the week. But I was always impressed that she still did — to edit, do homework or just spend time with the rest of the editorial team.
Opinion Co-Editors Ada Sussman and Ruby Voge not only continued to provide writers with a platform to share their thoughts and views through The FreeP, but also produced quality editorial articles of their own.
The two wrote a combined five editorials throughout the semester, including my favorite, an editorial on the changing relationship between BU Police Department and the BU community written for our Anniversary Edition.
Ada and Gabriella were also adamant advocates for Cava as our print night meals, sparking heated discussions in the office about where to buy dinner — a personal highlight of my semester.
Investigative Editor Chloe Cramutola published in-depth, quality articles all semester. My favorite was a deep dive into the ongoing construction of Warren Towers and its impact on students living there.
Chloe was able to take her section’s pitches and tips and turn them into long-form, thorough pieces of reporting. In just the third semester of the Investigative Section, Chloe took it to new heights.
Photo Co-Editors Holly Gustavsen and Sarah Cruz published some of the most interesting and innovative galleries I have ever seen. For the Anniversary Edition, they connected with past FreeP photographers and photo editors for headshots, also including their favorite photos they took as BU students.
When we gave each section the creative freedom to connect The FreeP’s past with its present, I never imagined something like what Holly and Sarah did.
Master of Games Gracie Rohde consistently produced the most fun and engaging mini-crosswords I’ve ever played. A highlight of my night, three times a week, was previewing the mini and trying to complete it as quickly as I could.
Gracie also created longer-form crosswords for each of our prints. In our third print edition, she even made a puzzle where clues in the crossword corresponded to their locations on a campus map.
Last but not least, our news editors — City Co-Editors Truman Dickerson and Sam Genzer and Campus Co-Editors Lauren Albano and Mady Swearing — were the four most dedicated and dependable editors in the office. Whenever there was breaking news on campus or around Boston, I could count on them to send a writer to cover or go out and cover it themselves.
Truman biked a total of eight miles to and from Tufts University to cover a protest, while Lauren and Sam both had weeks where they wrote at least four articles each. Mady was a part of one of the biggest investigative stories of the semester, one that took months to write, and I was so impressed with the scope and depth of the story.
I want to give another huge thanks to Sana and Kayla, who were vital in making this semester a success.
Another shoutout to last fall’s Editor-in-Chief Mara Mellits, as well as Board of Directors President Ava Berger and Vice President Payton Renegar for their consistent support and guidance throughout the semester.
While I could not have gone the semester without their help, The Daily Free Press could not function without its writers, photographers, editors or readers. Without all of your hard work and support, none of this would be possible, and I am eternally grateful.
Next semester, I will step into the role of treasurer on The FreeP’s management board and pass the torch to Lauren Albano, who will be the editor-in-chief next fall. She, along with Co-Managing Editors Sam Genzer and Crystal Yormick, will lead the Editorial Board as “Top 3.”
I have complete confidence that The FreeP is in great hands and the three of them will continue the great work The Daily Free Press has done for the last 55 years.
This semester was nothing short of a roller coaster.
From the lows of an ant infestation in the office and a crashed website, to the highs of an anniversary celebration and a new website, there is nothing I would change about my semester as editor-in-chief.
Sincerely,
Brendan