Dear Reader,
It’s hard to believe that my time as Editor in Chief of the Tartan is coming to a close! This past year and a half have been a time of personal growth for me and the Tartan. While running the Tartan for the first time last year was certainly a challenge, I was surprisingly more challenged this year by my inability to let go of responsibilities that I had clenched on tightly last year under the guise of “this is what leaders do.”
With a bigger staff, more events to cover, and study abroad opportunity next semester to plan alongside finishing up my degrees, I needed to let go of the reins and learn to delegate—for my own, and the Tartan’s sake.
A friend of mine once describe the Tartan as “Emma’s baby.” The number of hours that go into managing, editing and layout design certainly feels as intensive and demanding as caring for a child, at times.
But I look with fondness at the ways the Tartan has grown and transformed into the robust newspaper that it was many years before, from more leadership positions being filled, bigger editions, more articles from contributing writers, and bringing in more outside expertise. I reminisce about past years and articles I have written, or imagining what the Tartan was like, reading editions from before I even knew of Gordon College’s existence.
Amid my own burnout as a senior and from finals, I’ve been encouraged by the eagerness for reporting from underclassmen in our staff—ready to take pictures of an event last minute or investing their creative energy into an articles and sections that they have never written before.
While I am proud of how far this year’s staff has come and thoroughly enjoyed the process of leading the Tartan, it’s time for me to let the Tartan continue to develop under new leadership and fresh eyes.
I have confidence that the Tartan is in good hands with Presley Beal as the next Editor in Chief and have faith in her vision for the Tartan! Her creative spirit will bring much needed rejuvenation. It has truly been a privilege to serve my campus community in this way, and I am so grateful for all the support from students, professors and administration.
Yours,
Emma
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