Unlike my predecessor, I’m not graduating a semester early; I’m merely stepping down as Editor-in-Chief for the spring semester in order to let a younger generation to gain leadership experience.
I truly want to thank everyone who has supported to The Pleiad for my four years as well as those who came before me and those who will come after, those who will continue the legacy of the publication. At one point The Pleiad was down to three members and we published maybe five times in a semester. Today we have over 20 staff members, and we publish three times a week.
For the first time this year I’m seeing people commenting on Pleiad articles, retweeting them on Twitter and sharing them on Facebook. I truly believe it’s because we because we cover what Albion students are interested in reading and what is relevant to all of you. I just want the readers to know that the Pleiad will continue along this path so stay tuned for more interesting articles.
But for my final farewell to Pleiad in this position, I wanted to share some sage wisdom I’ve gained over my three and a half years here.
1.) Find something (or many things) you love to do
Albion students are weird. For the most part, everyone is overly involved and far too active around campus. Between the 20 some odd staff members that make up the Pleiad, we have someone involved in just about every group on campus – from athletics to Greek life to faith-based clubs and everything in between. So go out, join that group, get a position, expand the group and take advantage of the opportunities. Being apart of the swim team, my sorority, Pleiad and mentoring have made my time at Albion infinitely better.
2.) Make this community your own
This school is filled to the brim of people who care about its students. Not only do professors always go the extra mile, but all the other administration and staff I’ve worked with genuinely cherish students. Take an extra minute to talk to Mary at Baldwin about her grandkids or ask Nick in the bookstore about his tattoo. Say “hi” and thank all of the custodians who take care of our buildings. Ask the athletic trainers how they are as they wrap you up. The school cares about you and it makes Albion more rewarding when you care back.
3.) Don’t close yourself off to people
In high school I had a closed mindset. Without ever giving anyone a chance, I wrote off football players as dumb, cheerleaders as pointless and let more stereotypes take over my judgment. Eager for a fresh start, something intangible at Albion convinced me to give everyone a chance. Instead of taking what a person does as a definition of who they are, I just take them for who they are. I have friends from different student organizations, Greek houses and sports team, and they each make my life better in some way.
4.) Do something bigger than yourself
College is a time to be selfish in so many ways. Realistically, you only have to worry about yourself and (hopefully) your grades. And while it’s so great to have your schedule revolve around what you want to do (naps galore!), take time to do something for someone else. Albion has many different organization completely devoted to service, Greek life hosts philanthropy events, Relay for Life is becoming a bigger and bigger event each year. Not everyone is in a position to come to Albion so recognize it and give back to those less fortunate.
Pleiad readers, it’s been an absolute joy to serve you as the Editor-in-Chief and I hope you’ve found Albion as rewarding as I have. If you need to find me next semester, I plan to spend my retirement between occupying a booth at Relli’s, enjoying a cool beverage at La Casa or paying regular visits to Dave.
A special thanks to staff writer Jay Winkler who is leaving us after this semester to become a mythical “real adult.”
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