I joined The Penmen Press during the second semester of my freshman year. I remember how intimidated I was to be in a room full of people I didn’t know. All I knew is that I joined to gain experience in journalism. Little did I know that I would become passionate about it and would want to go into the field of journalism for my career.
My time working on the school newspaper officially kicked off during my sophomore year, the full year of SNHU being remote. I remember the exhilaration of my first article being published. If it was printed, I probably would have framed it.
As a staff writer, I started off in news and found that I enjoyed it. I liked writing about current events and being able to share them with the SNHU community, not to mention we had a great team in the news section. However, I dabbled in Arts & Entertainment, even writing one of my most successful pieces that raked in nearly 13000 views, “Crewmate or Imposter: Online Game Gains Traction Amongst SNHU Students.”
I’m happy to say that I was able to write for every section of the newspaper (even sports, which is something I wouldn’t have ever seen myself doing, but I really enjoyed it). I feel lucky to have been able to write so many articles, which is over 40 now since I began on The Penmen Press. Because of this, I was able to meet so many people, and also be able to give them a voice on campus.
It wasn’t just the writing that brought me joy while being in the organization; it was the editing. In my second semester of sophomore year, I helped with copy editing. However, I toyed with the idea of becoming a section editor. When I didn’t get voted in as Staff Representative, it gave me the push I needed to work toward becoming a section editor for Arts & Entertainment.
It was a great learning experience being in the role of section editor for both A&E Editor, as well as News Editor later on in my junior year. I loved being able to guide people along to help them with their writing, and to give them opportunities to go out and get experience in the field of journalism.
Then, when I found out I was going to be one of the Editors-in-Chief, I was completely elated. Thinking back to my freshman year, I remember not thinking I would be able to work my way up to such a role, nor did I really want to at the time. However, I fell in love with what The Penmen Press has to offer, and I never felt more humbled to have been given a chance to lead such an amazing organization.
Admittedly, I had doubts that I would be able to fulfill the role, especially when it came to speaking in front of people during general meetings. It can be daunting to be asked to fill your predecessors’ shoes, but as we proceeded throughout the school year, we learned and were able to improve as we went. I found courage from the support of my peers, who were always there to help.
I’m so grateful to have been given such an amazing team. It was a joy seeing all our new and returning staff thrive in the sections they were in, from seeing enthusiasm for esports to the passion for taking photos. I’m proud to have seen such successful events, such as the recent fundraiser for The Cupboard, or the Halloween-themed Issue Launch Party. I loved seeing the new design for the new cover of our issues take shape.
Now for the list of thank you’s:
Thank you to our staff – writers, photographers, and copy editors – for always having enthusiasm for the work you put in.
Thank you to our editors and managers, who were always so diligent throughout the school year to make our issues the best they could be.
Thank you to our advisor, Jon ‘JB’ Boroshok, for the Dad jokes we pretended to listen to and the helpful advice in all things journalism (and sometimes life).
A special thank you to my amazing e-board. Katelyn Ditto (’25), our Business Manager. Emily Blais (’24), our Marketing Manager and Staff Representative. Adam Dufault (’23), our Senior Managing Editor. Finally, Chris Tutt (’24), my Co-Editor-in-Chief (you’re amazing, and I’m happy I got to be able to work with you. I couldn’t have done this without you!).
I am so grateful for the opportunities The Penmen Press gave me, and I’m looking forward to using them in the future. Thank you to my absolutely wonderful team. I can’t wait to see what The Penmen Press has in store for next year.
