Photo courtesy of Megan White
I knew I couldn’t avoid the cliché of the English major who dedicates their college career to the school newspaper, so I jumped right in my first week of school. I still remember walking around the activities fair and seeing the table for the Etownian, and as soon as I stopped, the Editor-in-Chief at the time looked at me and said, “You’re the girl who likes writing and photography.” To this day, I still have absolutely no idea how she had heard about me, or how she knew who I was just as I walked up to the table, but she was so excited to meet me, and I immediately felt important. I put my name down on the sign-up sheet and started working on a publication that became such a huge part of my college experience.
Starting as a copy editor, an infrequent writer and a photographer, I felt like I was doing my lowly duty as a first-year to prove myself, but I enjoyed every aspect of the newspaper. From brainstorming each week to seeing all of the bits and pieces come together on production nights, each step of the process was exciting to me. I knew I wanted to become more involved, and I started as Photography Editor my sophomore year. I held that position for the rest of my time at Elizabethtown College. In this position, I got to work on a publication I loved surrounded by amazing people, and I had the opportunity to do photography work every single day. I started carrying my camera around with me and I even became known around campus as “the girl with the camera” which isn’t the worst thing you can be known for on a college campus.
Working on the Etownian gave me the opportunity to do what I loved while also experiencing so many new things. I was able to continue writing, taking photos and editing, while also learning interview skills, meeting new people around campus, attending events I normally wouldn’t have, and seeing my work in a publication each week. It was a truly rewarding experience, and I worked with such amazing people every step of the way. Thank you to everyone at The Etownian who has made my experience on the staff so beautiful these past four years.
