It feels weird to say—even think—“I used to work at the Etownian” after I walk across the stage or when I hit the upload button on our final layout. Maybe I can get President Betty Rider to hand me a copy of the newspaper instead of the fake diploma.

I got roped into the Etownian on Sept. 18, 2019, within the first three weeks of my first semester of freshman year. Grace Gibson, my overnight host, pulled me in during the Clubs and Activities Fair, saying I would make a great Assistant Campus Life editor. Mentally, I thought, “Sure, how bad could it be? I could always back out later right?” Nope. Boy, was I wrong.

Back when we had writers for Campus Life, I was only in charge of the Welcome to the Jungle articles. I applied whatever creative skills I had at that point to create stories about the Emotional Support Animals on campus. It was my favorite column and I will always read the articles about the pets of Etown.

It took me a while to understand my role as Assistant Campus Life editor. (Graduate) Samantha Romberger, my section editor, had a lot of patience with me. I think at one point I was confused that I had to edit all of the articles submitted, not just my own. Whoops. I’m sure Sam was happy to pass me to (graduate) Aprille Mohn the following semester. Thank god I wasn’t put in charge of the section after one semester, especially when Covid-19 shut down the newspaper.

Aprille showed me the ropes and got me into the cycle of the Etownian. She was very relaxed and chill with the section, including Rory the frog and mascot of the section to take up white space. Aprille carried the section and I was just along for the ride. I remember dealing with the Horoscopes, the Covid pets of Etown and finding livestream concerts. I got a strong enough handle on InDesign (enough to put on my resume) even though she’s a cruel mistress to this day.

As soon as I was put in charge of Campus Life, I passed off the Horoscopes to my Assistant Editor, now junior Chandler McGuire. I kept Rory in the section because Campus Life was really not the same without him. I would say I am proud of my Weekly Chirp articles, cooking recipes and activity reviews. I did such a great job training Chandler that I decided to leave Campus Life and become Managing Editor, as well as the boss of everyone. I put Chandler “in charge” of the section and become the boss of everyone. Funny she never noticed me changing stuff around after she and her assistant, now junior Abby Sholes, submitted their layouts. 

Anyways, when it came time for me to take a semester off to go abroad, I didn’t get home sick. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the routine the paper created until I got back. Once I got back into my role, it was like an ice bath: I had missed the Etownian. The community I had worked with, the friends I had made, the late, short articles I submitted, the Canva designs I created, seeing Rory’s cute face and the shared hatred of InDesign was all I missed from Etown.

I saw the Etownian shrink when Covid hit, becoming solely online, emptying the newsroom and filling up Google Drive and Zoom. Section editors that I started with have either moved up in the staff chain or graduated, passing the paper on. Now, in my last semester, I’ve seen the Etownian regrow and find its footing again. I hope that the paper continues to grow after I walk across the stage and that I can always find Rory somewhere in Campus Life. Bye Etownian! –Managing Editor