The end of the semester is finally here. It is crazy for me to think that this is the last column I will be writing for the Campus Times as editor in chief.
I have been emphasizing how fast time is flying by, especially being a senior this year. This semester has already been full of ups and downs for me. I knew going into this semester I would be facing many challenges and a lot of responsibility. For me, serving as editor in chief has been such an amazing learning experience. Being on a staff and working with a group is a learning experience in itself.
When I entered as a freshman at the University of La Verne, writing for the newspaper was something I looked forward to, and after this semester, everything has come full circle for me. I am looking forward to find out what happens next.
Being on the newspaper staff was much more than just assigning stories, writing stories and doing layout; it became a sort of club or hang out for some of us.
Our group got pretty tight over the semester with the trials and tribulations of being editors and just being college students. I have learned a lot from each of them, and I admire and respect everything about them. The same goes with the staff writers. What most people don’t know is that many of the staff writers aren’t journalism majors, but let’s face it; they are taking the class because they have to. In the end, though, journalists emerged.
As for the next editor in chief, I know that Galo Pesantes is going to do a great job. He has always been a great person to count on as a classmate, editor, staff writer and most importantly, a friend. It is funny to think we barely knew each other in our freshman experience class with Mike Laponis not too long ago, and now he is one person that I can count on to be there for anything. I know that under his direction and guidance, the paper will continue to be a strong presence on campus.
When I wrote my first column this semester, I was already trying to figure out what was going to happen this semester. Yes, I tried to play fortune teller. For the most part what I thought would happen, did, and some things I didn’t see coming happened.
For those who care, here is a little recap and update: I managed to meet a lot of new people, including some of the new freshmen and international students, I had the opportunity to speak with some administrators, which was something I really looked forward to, I reconnected with old friends and unfortunately, lost some, and most importantly, I was somehow able to slow time down a little bit and spend more time with my family and take time for myself.
I have joked around that I have been waiting for graduation since the first day of my freshman year, and its just around the corner. I was so set to finish my classes and get the heck out of La Verne without looking back.
Over the past few months, my perspective has changed. I guess it took all of this time for me to realize all of the great things our university has to offer. Sad, but I guess you could say I was just jaded and preoccupied with what was making me unhappy.
Now it is that time to start focusing on the future for me. I have always been the type of person to know what I wanted to do, where I would be in five years and exactly what I would be doing. At this point in my life, I have no idea. I would have expected myself to freak out, but it actually feels kind of nice to just go with the flow for once. Thank you for reading the Campus Times, and thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit about me each week.
Marilee Lorusso, a senior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at mlorusso@ulv.edu.
