Peace and love. Instead of the usual story about how young and terrified I was stepping into the newsroom, I’ll just say this: I walked in that day wondering, “Do I belong here?” I’ve often felt misunderstood, but over time, I’ve realized that feeling out of place is part of the journey. What matters most is the people you surround yourself with.
When I transferred to App State, Jade Ogle, our former chief copy editor, was one of my first friends. She convinced me during a Thursday night Wendy’s run to join the graphics desk as an illustrator. Without her encouragement, I would never have entered the wild world of The Appalachian.
Special thanks to McNeil Johnston for trusting me to take on the storm that is the graphics editor role — it was like being thrown into a tornado with a crayon in one hand and a deadline in the other. It was a thrill and a constant lesson, especially during those late nights working on layouts and laughing over typos like “memebers” on the front page — after the PDF was printed.
To K. Slade, my former visual managing editor, thank you for always supporting my ideas. I miss your humor and confidence; you left big shoes to fill. To my visual family this semester, words can’t express how grateful I am to have worked with each of you. Peace and love — I’m glad you see me as “more of a friend than just a manager,” as Gabe Plitt, our multimedia editor, put it.
To everyone I’m leaving behind, I salute you. I never realized that college newspapers are like tiny universes, where each issue is a small big bang and the stars are all the writers, copy editors, photographers, illustrators and the business manager who make it happen. I have deep respect for everyone who’s pitched a story, captured a photo or simply endured my senior moments (*wink*). It’s been real, it’s been chaotic and it’s been an absolute honor. See you around — hopefully at Lily’s.
Peace and love,
Kaitlyn, Your Soon-to-be-Former Visual Managing Editor
P.S. Thank you, ChatGPT for getting me through this semester and through writing this column.
