I remember the first time I learned about The College Voice. I was talking to a sophomore during freshman orientation and expressed my interest in writing for an on-campus publication. As I said that, Maia Hibbett, then the Opinions Editor for The Voice, was passing by. I introduced myself and Maia gave me a rundown of everything Voice related: the meeting times, the production schedule, and deadlines for articles. I love to express myself in writing, so I thought that The Voice would be the perfect organization to join. It turns out that my prediction was spot-on correct.
The Voice has been a defining feature of my time at Conn–and my time working on it has played an important role in helping me evolve and mature. As a freshman, I was more reserved and reticent about expressing myself and my views. I’m pretty sure that for the first couple of Voice staff meetings, I approached the section editors privately to pitch topics so I would not have to announce to everyone my interest in writing an article. At the time, I definitely did not want to shake things up with any article that I might write.
The Voice has taught me to be more assertive. During my time on the paper, I have both written about and supervised the coverage of a variety of controversial topics—claims of racism influencing the tenure process, the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention programs on campus, and student faith in campus safety. Each of these topics possessed enough political firepower to earn both the praise and criticism we received from our readers. While journalists sometimes stoke controversy solely for the purpose of garnering greater readership, we at The Voice have a mission to deliver factual articles that incorporate multiple perspectives intended to make the student body aware of ongoing issues surrounding Conn policies. We will produce this content regardless of whether our reportage speaks against the interests of any administration stakeholder. I am proud of every issue that The Voice has delivered, our dedicated staff, and our journalistic practices. It’s been an honor to develop the stories of our campus community and work alongside so many talented writers, editors, and photographers.
I would like to send out a thank you to all of you who read the paper, come to our weekly pitch meetings, and share your thoughts about topics that The Voice should cover. A big thank you also goes out to Max for being the best Co-Editor-in-Chief. This paper is so much better because of all the hard work that you put into it. Thank you to my good friend Maia Hibbett, who has made The Voice into a recognized force on campus. You are one of the most talented people I know and you inspire the people around you to set the bar a little higher for themselves. Serving as your managing editor will always be remembered as my favorite job at Conn. To Jozette and Sophia, you guys are rock stars and I know you will continue to make The Voice even better as Editors-in-Chief starting next semester.
Finally, a big shoutout goes to best my friends on campus. Guin, Sami, Ashley, Shannon, Erin, Natalia, and Maya—thank you for reading every issue of The Voice and for being there to support me no matter what. Professor Downs, thank you for serving as our advisor this year and for being the coolest professor. And Professor Stock, thank you for being my mentor and such a big part of my Conn experience since freshman year.
Stay on the lookout for all future issues of The Voice. I know that next year will be its best year yet. •
