The Communiqué has been at the forefront of my life since August 2021, my first week at Chatham University. And now, 120 pitch meetings, 62 bylines, 48 print editions, 24 multi-award-winning Quadcast episodes, several national media awards and an opossum reading our newspaper tattooed on my arm later, my time at Chatham and with the Communiqué has finally come to a close after I graduate at the end of April.
I became editor-in-chief at the start of my sophomore year. This gave me an inside look at the inner workings of the University, and for my final story, I’m ready to share some secrets that I couldn’t before as editor-in-chief.
Don’t worry, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Bill Campbell, this isn’t some exposé about Excel spreadsheets. I am sharing a secret about Chatham’s greatest asset: its people.
From the closure of Orchard Hall and the Chatham Faculty United’s unionization efforts to the University-wide reorganization effort, a lot of changes have happened during my time at Chatham. But one thing has remained constant for me: the people I’m surrounded by are incredible.
Almost everyone I’ve known on the Communique staff stumbled their way into joining, myself included. Before even attending my first pitch meeting, which occurs weekly at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays in Room 301 of the Art and Design Center in case you are interested, I was fortunate enough to be placed on the track toward my undiscovered dream career, thanks to professor Dr. Prajna Parasher, who, outside of my knowledge, labeled my concentration as journalism.
This decision put on my schedule in fall 2021 the COM255: Communiqué Newsroom I class, which I thought was some French communication class. It was not; I attended my first class — and then my first Communiqué meeting — and nervously pitched a story. Before I knew it, I was hooked for life.
Later in my first year, I was asked by then editor-in-chief Alice Crow to apply for the position. I had only written a few stories at the time, but she believed in me.
The faith put into me that day was just one of the incredible opportunities I’ve had at Chatham, none of them remotely possible without the great people connected with this University. From my years learning and leading the Communiqué, walking onto the hockey team and countless professors going above and beyond, I am incredibly grateful for my time here.
This University would not function without the tireless work of people like Carrie Pierson in academic advising, Dacia in the copy center, Davon in Anderson Dining Hall, Ed White in the mailroom, professor Mark Bender, Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Chris Purcell and so many others. There is not enough space on this page or pages in this newspaper to thank everyone, but those are a few I need to share.
To my teammates on the hockey team who relentlessly supported me on and off the ice, I am forever in debt. My entire life has had hockey at its center, and without them, I never would have fulfilled my dream of playing hockey collegiately. The number of times they stood up for me is endless, and the support they gave me when I came out will forever be a highlight of my life.
To the Communiqué staff, past and present, I could not be more proud of the work we accomplished during my time here: winning numerous national awards, receiving credits in professional publications and our relentless effort to cover this University the best we can.
While all of that is great, I am most proud of the culture we created and the immense personal and professional growth I have seen in everyone.
I can never thank everyone enough for writing late at night, spending weekends laying out the newspaper and doing the countless things needed to keep this organization afloat. You didn’t do it for a paycheck, maybe someday, but for a better future for all of us. The work you all do, truly means something to this University and puts you in a great position once you graduate. We continue to see alumni get jobs in the professional media world, and it’s because of all of our effort in covering this community to the best of our abilities.
I cannot wait to see you all continue to take this student organization to new levels, and I am so excited for your professional journeys to blossom because of your work here.
Our work at the Communiqué would not be remotely close to the quality it is at now without Faculty Advisor Sara Bauknecht. To accurately describe the impact she has had on this organization and every single person she comes in contact with is simply impossible. My life has forever been changed by her, and I am so thankful I am in the position I am in today because of her.
This school will forever be a special place to me, and it’s not because of its old buildings or rodents trapped in mailrooms; it’s because of the people who forever changed my life for the better.
