If you had told the 19-year-old college student, who was fairly certain she was never going to be a journalist, that she’d be running half the student newspaper paper one day, she probably would have laughed and walked away. Yet, it turns out that the decision to join The Inkwell I made on a whim, back when Chick-fil-A was still under construction, was the best decision I made in my college career. 

I worked at The George-Anne Inkwell at an interesting time when the consolidation still produced lots of newsworthy stories and the pandemic produced even more in addition to the typical stories that affect students every semester such as the senior art exhibits, mental health and career advice. 

At the George-Anne Inkwell, I got to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities without having to make the commitment of signing up for all of them, because I got to go to all the events. Through The George-Anne Inkwell, I’ve met a lot of fantastic people and gone to a lot of great events that I wouldn’t have met or attended on my own. Besides getting paid to have fun, I gained a lot of professional skills such as writing, editing, managing, content and website management and photography skills. I’ve grown so much personally and professionally. These are lessons and memories that will always be with me, and they’re all because of you: the readers. 

Thank you to all our 7000 or 8000 readers who open the newsletter every week. When I open the newsletter analytics every week and see that several thousand people read the newsletter, it motivates me to make the next newsletter the best I possibly can. All of you give purpose to my writing, interviewing and managing of the newsletter and website. You hold me and the rest of the staff accountable for answering the hard questions, holding those in power accountable, keeping up with the campus events and maintaining journalistic integrity even when it’s easier not to. 

I trust that Duncan Sligh, the print EIC and Jabari Gibbs, the new digital EIC will continue to hold those in power accountable, keep up with campus events, ask the hard questions and maintain their journalistic integrity as they take The George-Anne Inkwell into the new year. I’m excited to see where they take the paper in the new year now that COVID-19 is not as much a threat as it was when I became an editor last fall. 

I already know Duncan wants to cover CRI more, do more 12-page print papers and do more audio-visual interviews, but those are just the ideas I know about. With his and Jabari’s creative leadership, I know there will be many more great ideas in store for all of you in the new year. As long as you support them and their successors the way you supported me and my predecessors, I know The George-Anne Inkwell will see great success for another 86 years and beyond. 

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all,” 2 Corinthians 4:17