When I sat down in my favorite chair — which is rightfully mine — for my last meeting as a member of The Scarlet & Black, I expected to feel sadness, anxiety and all the other emotions that come with the end of something you value so much. Instead, I just sat there, feeling somewhat bittersweet but mostly feeling proud of what I had accomplished in five semesters at the paper.
It was not always the easiest path, but I am eternally grateful that I was given the opportunity to write for The S&B in the first place. It all started with a bang, as I simultaneously had my first article edited and cut down so heavily I barely recognized it and had the subject of the second become so frustrated with me that we ran a front-page correction article the next week.
While these are far from my fondest moments of this newspaper, I still think of them as essential in getting me to who and where I am today.
Now that we have gotten past that point and my grievances have been aired, I would like to talk about just how special this paper is. When I joined, I felt that I was joining a regular student newspaper, although the fact that there was still a weekly printed issue was immediately a plus.
Toward the end of my first year, though, I began to see some of the beauty of being at such a place. Given that I was one of the few writers interested in sports, I was given more freedom to pursue and pitch articles, an experience that undoubtedly helped me believe that I could be an editor, and I credit that to Mo Igbaria `24.
I cannot write a reflection on my time as a writer without including my favorite moment of my four years here — Feb. 19, 2024, when a story titled “S&B investigation reveals Grinnell Football tackle stats are inflated” finally came out. Those who know me well will recognize the pride with which I describe this story.
Sports has always been my happy place, even before I started journalism. I knew that I found solace watching the Dodgers usually win, the Kings usually lose apart from those three glorious years, and the Galaxy rapidly fluctuate in between.
There is a beauty to sports that is harder to find on this campus, and if you are not careful, can be lost entirely. In my first year, I struggled to bring friends along to watch our teams, and I had a hard time figuring out what else one could do with their free time that could be more enjoyable.
I attempted in my writing to capture that beauty, and I hope those of you who made it to page six routinely would have seen some of that come through. Some of my favorite sports articles of mine weren’t really sports articles. I loved when I got to interview season ticket holders of the Iowa Wild, and the way that athletes of minor league teams described their lives and attachment to their craft was fascinating.
I do have people to thank, which I will do here. As I mentioned before, Mo Igbaria was an instrumental part of me eventually becoming sports editor. Lyle Muller and his criticism gave me insights that I never would have seen, and now I know never to leave out the centerpiece. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the whole editorial staff this year, particularly Taylor, Sarah, Evelyn and other Henry, who made late Thursday nights fly by.
Thank you everyone for reading. These three years have meant the world to me. I will never forget this newspaper, or you.
