I never thought I would be a part of the legacy of editors-in-chief typing this kind of message out. Of course I daydreamed about it when I started as a staff reporter, but I never thought it would be a reality and that time would pass by so fast. 

I started working for Student Publications in the Spring semester of 2021 as a wee freshman and this office along with myself have grown so much since then. I could not have asked for a better co-editor, Austin O’Brien, and staff to be producing content this semester and hopefully accomplishing so much more in the future. 

The Lion’s Roar truly has been everything I could ask for out of a job ever since I started. It has given me real-world experience, a sense of community, tons of laughs and an overall feeling of confidence in continuing this type of work in the future. 

I’ve been told many times that “newspapers are dead” and have been asked why I considered this field specifically. To me, newspapers have been a constant throughout humanity and I think Southeastern and the Lion’s Roar have enlightened me that news can be so much more than what the public sees at face value. 

It’s not all about clickbaiting and getting views or trying to push certain agendas. This job, along with classes at SLU, have taught me that news is not only about getting accurate and important information out to the people, but also sharing the stories of people who otherwise would not be heard of if not for the paper. 

Sharing the narratives of people’s lives and accounts of the world’s events will eternally be important and this job has definitely proven that to me.

I definitely have to thank Dr. Chelsea Slack for getting me interested in the Lion’s Roar, along with our coordinator Lorraine Peppo and once again my co-workers for making this environment productive and enjoyable. 

I would also like to thank the editor-in-chiefs who preceded me, Symiah Dorsey, Brynn Lundy and Gerard Borne. They set prime examples of what this position is supposed to be and I hope that Austin and I can leave The Lion’s Roar better than we left it just as they did.

With all this in mind, I look forward to serving as your co-editor-in-chief for the Spring 2023 semester and cannot wait to begin this journey.