I first heard about The Albion Pleiad when I was a junior in high school. I was touring Albion as a small, scared prospective student, and my tour guide pointed out the little Pleiad office nestled into a cozy corner of the Kellogg Center. At first, I was taken back by the slightly ridiculous name, but when she explained to a much younger me about the school newspaper, I remember looking into that office and thinking to myself, “I’m going to be editor of that paper one day.”
From that very first story (now embarrassing), to a personal reflection on terrorist events abroad, and reporting on vandalism right in downtown Albion, my time writing for the Pleiad has been one of ups and downs. Working for a school paper isn’t always easy, but even when I complained about the work or dragged my feet to schedule an interview, I knew in my heart this paper and the work that we do was more important than my desire to take a nap every afternoon.
On top of the stories themselves, the people I got to meet taught me things that a classroom never could. It is because of the Pleiad that I was given the opportunity to be with students and faculty at the dedication ceremony for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. Without this paper, I would have never witnessed such a historic event. I’ll always be grateful for these moments the Pleiad has given me, and as I prepare to graduate, I know these memories will be some of the most distinguished of my college career.
Flash forward four years and I now have to say goodbye to the organization and that paper that has given me so much. When I was honored with the opportunity to serve as Editor-in-Chief this school year, I was determined to make some sort of mark in Pleiad history.
It was with the help of both Sarah Noah and Katherine Hibbs that the Pleiad was able to launch a new website last month. Their help was instrumental in making a mark on the history of this paper and ushering us forward into a new era. This year also saw both national and local elections, bringing changes across the nation as well as in Albion. Because of all of these changes, we renewed our commitment to covering local politics and critiquing national candidates.
Working here the entirety of my undergrad career has shaped my Albion experience even as I and my fellow staff members shaped the paper. WIthout my team of editors and writers behind me, this paper would be nothing, and my gratitude to their hard work and creativity is boundless. Special thanks must also be given to the Pleiad advisor and Visiting Assistant Professor Glenn Deutsch. His dedication to our staff and paper is one of the most vital resources that the paper has available. Without him the Pleiad would only be a shell of the paper that it is today.
I could go on and on about my experience at the Pleiad, but I won’t. What I will say is that I’m so honored for the opportunity to serve this paper as Editor-in-Chief. It was, in so many ways, a dream come true for me. As I get ready to leave the office for one final time and publish just one last story, I walk away knowing that I poured a lot of my energy and soul into this paper because I believed in it. And even after I leave and a new editor steps up to take my place, I walk away knowing that over the past four years myself and every other member of the Pleiad staff has worked to build something that I feel is truly remarkable.
Photo by Emily Miller
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