My time at The Eastern Echo has been the most challenging, but also the most rewarding experience of my entire college career.
I found The Echo on a whim, when my best friend told me my junior year there was an ad to write remotely for The Eastern Echo. I applied shortly after that, and within the next couple of days, I got an interview and was writing the next day.
I began writing in the news and opinion sections of the paper. Then I found my calling inside The Echo, adding a second major in Journalism to my degree. I moved from working as a writer, to Assistant News Editor, then to Content Editor, and am now ending my career at The Echo as Editor-in-Chief.
Each role I held showed me different skills and ultimately where my passion lied, learning every aspect of the paper and overall becoming a journalist. From stories about clubs on campus, to hard-hitting breaking news stories, and to discussions about campus parking, I wanted to cover it all. At The Echo, I learned print design, graphic design, photography, sports writing, and more skills that I would've never learned anywhere else, especially how to become a journalist so quickly.
I am eternally grateful for all the editors and people I have worked with at The Echo as they have made me a better journalist and person along the way. I also want to give a big thank you to our Echo advisor Christine Uthoff who helped bring this publication back from the brink of death, and who lets us grow and become the best publication we can be.
This organization gave me the opportunity to grow in a positive learning space, and I will be forever grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had inside this organization. For everyone who has seen me grow, it has given me the utmost joy to see everyone's reaction to my work. I thank you all because without your feedback, I wouldn't be the journalist I am today.
As I graduate, I look back at my time at Eastern Michigan University and see The Eastern Echo as my education. It was the thing I spent most of my time with and put all my passion into, and was the thing that gave me the utmost joy to be a part of.
I am sad to let this paper go as I hold it so dearly, but to The Eastern Echo and all the people in it, I look toward you to take over from here. To the place I called home and to all the lessons you have taught me, I thank you, and I hope my work will help The Eastern Echo strive far into the future.
