Readers,
Growth feels different for me recently. It’s steadier than I expect yet I feel my being mimicking the change in the New England snowfall. It lays and melts and piles and turns to slush again. Growth isn’t consistent, but it starts to feel steadier when you recognize you were created to change.
What an excellent issue to welcome into the Spring semester.
When I was a staff writer as a freshman last year, I was among one other writer on staff. It was the four of us: two editors and two writers. Now, I have fifteen staff members doing all sorts of things like writing, social media managing, crafting graphic design, and even doing data analysis. This staff is gifted and passionate in a way that is extremely rewarding to work with. Now I’m gifted with a position that I want to hold in my future careers within journalism; I’m gifted with the ability to learn about myself as a leader in a college journalistic outlet, student-run and student-crafted since the 1960s.
I have visions for The Tartan as Editor-in-Chief. I’m not sure what exactly yet but I do unashamedly place the work on my friends’ apartment coffee tables (and I hope you’d do the same). I feel like I’m getting my guy-friends to read newspapers for the first time ever.
In this issue, we celebrate all things from Black History Month to a new art exhibit in Barrington, and from the effects of crowds, to the effects of jazz music. I think I got too excited in my creativity that I forgot to pitch news coverage to the staff, so I suppose enjoy our Arts & Life issue (bare with me, I’m learning).
I was able to cross the ocean to Orvieto, Italy with Gordon over Christmas break, and my professor made it an assignment for us as a class to each submit articles to our school’s newspaper. I quickly informed him I was the Editor and he was delighted. It was so beautiful to read my classmates’ words and experiences that were unique to them though we had shared the same roof. In this issue, you’ll read of many stories coincidentally taking place in Orvieto, Italy for that reason. I wonder how many readers will catch on, it’s kind of a funny thing.
Anyway, don’t let the cold discourage you yet. Spring is around the bend holding your growth in hand. In a couple months you’ll see yourself with new eyes, and shake hands with the “old” you. Change isn’t always drastic but it’s just enough to meet you, teach you, and help you get up again. You won’t be dormant forever–Spring is coming.
Thank you for reading and hearing us.
Our appreciation goes to you.
Love and etc.,
Presley Beal
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