No more chocolate-induced late night anxiety attacks.  No more nightmares about the printing press breaking.  No more weekends spent sharpening my Photoshop and Quark skills.  My life has certainly changed since I graduated last May and stepped down from my role as editor in chief of the Cardinal Courier. 

When I arrived at Fisher as a freshman, I had no intentions of joining the school newspaper.  When I was finally convinced to join by fellow former editor in chief Julie Kane, I had no intentions of staying for very long.  Yet I graduated last year with nearly four years of Courier experience under my belt.  And I have finally realized that it wasn’t about journalism or news necessarily, but it was about the Courier itself.

It was about the environment it created around campus.  And the sense of urgency students had on their faces when they would rush to me on Wednesday evening as I was delivering the newest edition to the stands. 

It was the passionate letters to the editor we received, whether they dealt with an issue affecting the Fisher community or berated our coverage in some way.  Yes, I even appreciated the nasty letters.  Because that meant people were reading and paying attention and thinking.  They felt a call to action and they took it – and that is the prime responsibility of a newspaper, to provoke.

It was the policies that were changed because of an editorial or story one of our staff members wrote.  People were listening, and that’s all that mattered to me.

From what I can gather during my few brief trips back to campus, I see that this trend is something that won’t be going away any time soon.  I am so happy to see that in my absence this newspaper continues to thrive and be the lifeblood of the Fisher campus, and has been doing so since its inception five years ago.

Though I graduated only six months ago, my life has changed significantly.  Yet the Courier has managed to stay in my heart and I have brought those experiences and lessons with me on both my professional and personal journey.