Final Word

When I tell people what I do here at the Daily Free Press, I don’t think they really ‘get it,’ despite the wide eyes and emphatic nods that tend to characterize the particular breed of student that meanders up and down this stretch of Commonwealth Avenue. Don’t get me wrong, the people who work hard at Boston University really do work hard. It’s one of the reasons I love this school. Even if a class is mediocre, top students keep each other on their toes. Competition drives us.

However, no matter how many all-nighters my fellow students have pulled, I can’t say it compares to the sacrifice and dedication I’ve seen from my fellow editors day in and day out at this paper. I am still in awe of these people four semesters after I wrote my first story. I saw the edits the next day in the paper, I cried and swore I would never write again, but I found myself back in that office a week later.

Early on in my semester as editor-in-chief, the Daily Freeze Press showed me just how dedicated my staff this semester would be. The heating system shut down on a night with temperatures in the teens, and we made the paper bundled in coats and scarves as our steamy breath obscured the computer screens before us, and our fingers ached each time they struck the ice cold keyboards. It was an absolutely miserable situation, but we banged out a paper in record time that night with an experience to share and the realization that we wanted the same thing: to put out a quality newspaper for our readers.

Although some may balk at the idea of spending so much time at the school paper instead of out in the ‘real world,’ I will argue that my involvement with the Free Press and subsequent climb its top position has been the most educational experience I could have asked for. As a 21-year-old, where else can you play watchdog to the administration to promote real change, learn everything from copyediting to layout and manage a team of reporters and editors just as hell-bent on making the most out of their experiences as you are? I’m working at least 50 hours a week at the office, and I have no regrets.

To the editors and writers I’ve worked with these last two years, you are fantastic. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even with cutting Friday print editions this semester, you understood that it was in the best interest of the paper and never wavered in your dedication. Together, we have upheld our independence.

Whether we know it or not, we grew up here ‘- not just as reporters and editors, but as individuals. I know I can’t look back on it with the clarity of distance yet, but I can appreciate the knowledge that I have grown, I have learned and I have had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented people I will ever meet.