I fell in love with this organization on a chilly March day, trudging back to my freshman dorm after a midafternoon class. I was thinking about taking a cozy midday nap when a sudden realization jolted me awake — the newspapers had been released that day. As I crossed the skywalk, I spotted the newsstand at the end and made a beeline for it.

At first glance, I stopped in my tracks and said out loud, “Is that an alpaca?!”

It sure was. And not just any alpaca — it was the subject of my very first story as a student journalist, printed right there on the front cover of the March 2023 edition. 

I swung open the newsstand door and pulled out the fresh top copy. I was so excited, I dropped my bags and asked a stranger in the hallway to take a photo of me holding the paper. I immediately shared it with my whole family.

From that moment on, every Thursday evening in the newsroom felt electric. I looked forward to our weekly meetings with a sense of purpose and belonging I hadn’t felt anywhere else. 

Over the past two years, I’ve had the honor of serving on the editorial board as Distribution Manager, Associate Visual Managing Editor and eventually Visual Managing Editor. Each title came with new lessons, new late nights and new reasons to become more passionate about the wonderful world of student journalism.

I’m endlessly grateful — not just for the work, but for the people I’ve worked alongside. For my visual baddies. For the PDF night delusion. For the quiet moments of awe when the newest edition arrived in the newsroom.

So many of my favorite college memories are inked with The Appalachian. It gave me a voice. And I’ll always carry it with me, page by page.