I have known for four whole years that I would eventually be writing a staff goodbye. Yet, even after covering all the tough losses and enduring 3 a.m. writing sessions, I am not sure I have ever had this much confusion when trying to start a story.
All the time, effort, stress and joy over the course of four years in something that has more or less dictated my life as a young adult, how do you even quantify that? I have long strived to think analytically about everything. I typically feel there is little sense in discussing, or writing about, important topics without becoming viably educated on such topics. At the very least, doing so without proper education is irresponsible, in my opinion.
Add on the fact that my brain will (rightfully so) never stop telling me to adhere to the standards of journalistic writing and AP style.
Despite that, here I am, sitting at my college desk that I have written hundreds of thousands of words at, trying to write about something that is exceptionally important to me, of all people. This should be easy. But it is not. It does not make sense.
That thought brings up one of the most valuable lessons I will take away from The Rocket. When trying to think analytically and professionally while covering all your bases, sources and properly conducting research, so much is going on that you will often find yourself thinking, “this doesn’t make any sense.”
That applies, of course, until five minutes later when you have a breakthrough in your writer’s block and the words start flowing again.
All of this is a bunch of blabbing to say, perseverance and commitment to something you truly care about are perhaps the most important things to find in life. Hopefully that can be a task, a job, a hobby and a person. Or at least one of them.
I will carry that sentiment throughout my life because of The Rocket. My hope is that I continue to find things I want to be as deeply committed to.
When I stepped foot on campus the first time my freshman year, I knew I loved sports, I knew I loved writing and I knew of The Rocket. As a multimedia journalism (formerly converged journalism) student, I also knew I really should get involved with The Rocket to supplement my education, but figured I would let myself get settled into college first and maybe join in my second semester.
What I did not know was the wealth of people I would meet and the gravity of the experiences I would have over my next four years directly because of Slippery Rock’s student-run newspaper. I thought I would slowly enter an opportunity to get my writing published for others to read for the first time. Instead, the opportunities included standing on the field for the most entertaining football game I have ever watched, traveling to Times Square for a conference and so, so much more.
Somewhat poetically, just as the common presence of constant change within the professional spheres of media and journalism, my plans changed almost immediately. As previously mentioned, I intended to hold off for a few months before getting started in sports journalism. Then Eddie Clancy, a fellow freshman who I had just met but had all five first-semester classes with, forced my hand despite some anxiety-based resistance.
He did so by introducing me to at-the-time Sports Editor Tyler Howe. I covered a women’s soccer game for my first story, loved the experience and have not stopped writing since.
As fate, or luck, would have it, I proceeded to spend every semester of my four years in college as a member of The Rocket. It proved to be the most impactful experience of my life.
Anywho, I have people to thank. I wish to express gratitude to so many people that there is not nearly enough room on this page, or maybe even an entire print edition. So many people have had a positive impact on me throughout my college journey, and I wish I could directly thank every single one, from peers I have had hundreds of conversations with to professors I have gained knowledge from to anyone reading this story in any capacity, even if that capacity is having read just part of one of the stories I have written in these past four years.
To those who much is given, much is expected. I do not want to apply the sanctimonious nature of a statement laced with such grandeur to myself, as I cannot speak to the expectations others have of me, and whether they are high. I can, however, attest to the fact I have been given much. To all those that deserve my gratitude, including those not listed here, I can only hope that for all the time and effort that has been spent on me, I have in some way repaid my debt.
For the sake of keeping this from being a 1,000,000-word story, I have decided to limit the following singularly addressed notes to those currently on staff.
Eddie,
Although I am quite literally writing the order of these notes based on the counterclockwise orientation of sections in the office from my desk, it still seems fitting you would be first. Firstly, you are an immensely talented photographer, but you already knew that.
I would be remiss not to mention the hilarity of getting our personality test results back and seeing yours was a debater archetype, which was already fitting and only amplified when you immediately started arguing with me about it. I do not think there is a single person I have had so many arguments with, but they always seem to be productive in some way, if not just funny for the both of us.
I will always be grateful to you for pushing me to join The Rocket as soon as we got to campus as well as the all-nighters in the office, road trips and football games. I hope to one day look down from a media room at the Super Bowl and see you on the sidelines taking photos.
Dearl,
It is almost surreal to me how many similarities I see between yourself and Eddie as a freshman. That includes your ability as a photographer. It was great to see you make your Club Baseball debut, and I can tell you have many more opportunities on the field with either the ball or a camera in your hand over the coming years.
Paige,
You have been a consistently helpful presence through different levels of turbulence over the semesters. Even if it sometimes feels like invisible work, I promise your late nights spent editing my 2,000-word sports features never went unappreciated. That willingness to help above expectations, even when it was not your fault at all, just because timelines got pushed back shows your character and is much of the reason I know you will be successful.
Chloe,
It feels like you have been a part of all the clubs within the communication department, probably because you nearly have, but it speaks to your versatility and adaptability. I have full faith in you to achieve your goals in whatever venture you pursue, and to always maintain that brand of “affinity for good news.” Seriously, that stuck with me, and I think it both fits you and will serve you well into the future.
Kayla,
If you take nothing else from these experiences, I hope you have been able to see how good and talented you truly are. I know it can be difficult to take a step back and really view the embodiment of work you have done, as well as the person you have become, but please try to do so.
It has been a joy getting to watch you grow more comfortable and confident in what you do. Always remember that it is warranted confidence.
I have no doubt you will find success and happiness in whatever path you take. Or just go viral on TikTok and become a rich and famous influencer, that would work too.
Audrey,
Your ability to maintain consistent and great work even though you were switching between various educational paths that generally had nothing to do with journalism expresses your commitment and drive. These things, as well as being such a pleasant presence in the office, will help you to be successful no matter where you end up.
Noelle,
Getting to work alongside you and directly seeing your growth as a sports journalist has been incredibly rewarding for me, as well as showing me plenty of lessons along the way. It is rare to see someone come in from a different department and background with clear baseline skills but proceed to embrace every single area of improvement.
Mostly though, the way you work with others and lead should be applauded. You always carry yourself with a light of positivity and the utmost respect for others, even when the situation tries to dictate otherwise. I believe that is your greatest skill and it will carry you far.
Garrett,
I made it a personal goal of mine to recruit you to staff the first time we talked on the sidelines of Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. I am very happy to have succeeded in that goal and look forward to continuing to follow your work, be it writing, design or something entirely different, as I know it will be exceptional regardless.
Myles,
The strides you have taken despite being on staff for just a few short months are remarkable, and I know that development will continue. You are such a talented writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to work with you on several stories and know you will do great things as you push forward into positions of leadership.
Will,
The way you and Myles have strengthened the news section after little preparation has both been impressive and incredibly helpful to me personally. Your innate news sense has always guided you well and will continue to do so.
August,
Getting to know you and seeing your visions for multimedia evolve within The Rocket has been as fun as it is helpful and productive. I will long remember how quickly we put together that social media style guide, as well as muddy brick.
Cheese,
Despite only really getting to know you over the past semester, your ability to bring a positive atmosphere and humor to a room even with a docile personality is enjoyable. Carry that with you as you progress in college and into your career.
Dr. Fleming,
The guidance you have given to me over the years is invaluable, and I will continue to use it past my time with The Rocket and Slippery Rock. Your willingness to go well above what could be expected of an adviser will always be appreciated.
Getting to work more closely with you as I moved into the editor-in-chief position has shown me plenty of work and life lessons I needed. Beyond that, the fact you would always take extra time to help with our tasks, no matter how small, and build rapport with all of staff shows how much you care.
Soph and Hayden,
I genuinely strive to carry with myself the qualities I have seen in you. Your levels of professionalism and perseverance should be a benchmark for everyone to look up to. I cannot thank you enough for showing me the ropes of student leadership.
Tyler and Annabelle,
You two have been more of a guiding force in my life more than you would know. Getting to stay in contact with you after your respective graduations has been a joy. I hope to continue to do so while you two continue to do great things.
My early EICs,
You all showed me skills from the most basic of AP style guidelines to leadership qualities. I often hope people see me in at least a similar light to how I viewed you all when you held the position.
The Sports Guys,
I am sorry I cannot mention you all by name, but you know who you are. It was a great experience building up the sports section and we increased in size from contributors and practicums. As for Alex, you helped me learn so much about how to lead a team and be personable. I always look back fondly on getting to run the section as a partnership.
Andrei, James, Katie D., Gillian, Maddie B., Teiko, Katie S. and every staff member since Fall 2022,
I have gained something from each of you and just know, there have been points where I have thought back to even the smallest interactions early in my first semester. Some of these have been lessons I have taken, skills I have gained or even the simplest of gestures showing me how to be a college student. I believe I have had 33 different Rocket coworkers since I joined. And while each of you knows it would be impossible to include stories from each, much less fit every name into a subhead, I can still pick out beneficial experiences I had with everyone.
And James, sorry again for missing dinner with you and Soph that one time.
To reiterate, there are many more people who deserve gratitude here, it just is not possible within the scope of this story. If you have read to this point and did not have a named section above, know that you more than likely deserved to be named, and plenty of the sentiments I have expressed throughout this story more than likely apply to you.
I realize the irony in spending four years learning about story ideation, newsworthiness and how to provide coverage that is interesting and important to readers, then proceeding to publish nearly 2500 words that are most relevant to myself and those closest to me.
Still, I hope anyone who has read to this point was able to glean something from my experiences, be that a lesson in some form or an acceptance of my gratitude.
The Rocket has seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows in my life. I would not even consider giving any of it back for anything; none of the late nights, none of the beautiful print editions, none of the stress-ridden deep breaths in the hallways of Eisenberg Classroom building and none of the long conversations with drastic variance of emotional depth within the walls of The Rocket office.
We are taught in journalism classes to generally avoid overused clichés. Nevertheless, everything that was ever bad, and of course all good things, must come to an end.
Sure, there were plenty of difficulties, but I appreciate every moment of them from the specific instances to the lessons I gathered from them. I feel that is fairly emblematic of life in general, if not just my life. At least I hope so. And I hope it continues to be.
