“Grateful” is the first word that comes to mind when thinking about these past three semesters. “We” is the second.

(For clarification, this is my last semester as editor, but since I am a junior, I will still be with The Stater in some role next school year.)

I am first and foremost grateful for our 94-person staff. We started with about 60 people three semesters ago, and we have grown in every possible way since January 2023.

The leadership, intelligence and funness (if that is even a word) of our 20 editors has made The Stater the best college newspaper ever — an unbiased opinion, of course. Thank you all for everything. Our reporters ask all the important questions and write vital stories. Our opinion team write well-done articles that make us laugh, reflect and learn. Our photographers and designers enhance our articles with extremely talented work. Because of our innovative socials team, people know our name. Our sports department works on intense deadlines, and they produce very informative reads. Our digital team keeps our website looking pretty and our newsletter staying fun.

I’m beyond grateful for the kind and awesome friends I have made and the amazing boyfriend I have met. Thank you all for being such fantastic people and for loving me. I love you all so much.

I’m also very grateful to have gotten to know and work with such genius and talented professionals and professors such as our advisor Cheryl Powell, the executive editor of the Akron Beacon Journal; Sue Zake, our former advisor and editor-in-chief of Signal Akron; and Carl Schierhorn, a more-than-knowledgeable mentor and former Stater advisor, among others.

Thank you all for your support and dedication to all of us and our careers. I will think of all of your teaching and advice as I intern for the ABJ this summer.

I would also like to thank everyone in the Student Media office who has helped us throughout these past semesters as we have navigated our increasing production. Thank you especially to Ashley Caudill, who is the best sales manager ever.

Now, this may all seem like a party, and while we do party together, these past three semesters have not been easy.

Most of us, and few like myself joined more than three years ago, joined KentWired and The Stater when we produced not-so-consistent content and infrequent print editions.

In three semesters, it is amazing to type that we have:

• Worked to maintain a daily five-article minimum publishing schedule
• Designed (from scratch, with the help of copies of my hometown newspaper) and published a monthly broadsheet paper
• Created a fun Valentine’s Day zine
• Traveled to NCAA tournaments and national conferences
• Held weekly meetings and many get togethers
• Completely redone our website (I hope you all love the new look)

But all of this, in this end, has not even been the best part.

Serving the community and seeing people on our staff become friends, bring their friends to staff, laugh and truly like what they’re doing has been the best part. Having an “excuse” to miss some classes due to meetings and production times has not been too bad, either.

Thank you all for these past three semesters — and congratulations to Alton Northup, who will be editor over the summer and news director in the fall. You’ll be leading the most talented, cool, intelligent and fun people around.

It’s a dream come true, for sure.

Love,
Izzy