I didn’t begin working for The S&B out of a love for writing or because I wanted to pursue ‘the news.’ Two years ago, I applied to work as a copy editor mostly because I just wanted to read and get paid for it. I didn’t really know anything about the paper, and it felt like a shot in the dark. I think I may have even accidentally submitted my application late? Regardless, I somehow got hired, and Sam Bates `24 generously and patiently taught me how to work in Associated Press (AP) Style. I loved editing, which gave me an excuse to painstakingly interrogate a story’s every detail, and entertain tiny, nitpicky questions that popped into my head. I still often feel like a copy editor who somehow stumbled into the role of leading the paper!
I worked another wonderful semester as a copy editor under Nick El Hajj `24 and Eleanor Corbin `24, but because I loved the job so much, I felt guilty hogging it. I had also learned so much about Grinnell –– the town and the College –– through reading the paper and I wanted to incorporate all of that into my own stories. None of this made the idea of having forward-facing involvement in the paper any less intimidating, though.
The first story I wrote for the paper was a low-stakes Cribz assignment about GAME House. Even though I knew it would be straightforward and easy, I still remember waking up one morning from a stress dream in which I’d forgotten to press ‘record’ and had lost the entire interview transcript. Needless to say, the story went completely fine, as did all of the others that followed it. I still occasionally wake up from stress dreams in which I’ve missed a massive typo on the front page or overlooked a crucial fact within a story, but I know enough now to disregard them. I now trust what I’ve learned over years of laying out the paper late into the morning, coming in on Saturdays to update stories before they go to print and taking notice of every mistake that has made it into the paper.
I owe a thank you to everyone who has ever written an op-ed or letter to the editor, left a comment on a story or voiced a complaint with the paper. The S&B owes it to Grinnell to honestly reflect the events and people we cover, and it is only through engagement like this that we can correct inaccuracies and continue onwards in pursuit of news and truth-telling.
I also want to thank our incredible staff. Hundreds of hours of work go into each week’s paper, and I feel indebted to every writer, photographer, editor and graphic designer who lends their skills to The S&B week after week. Thank you all so very much!
Also, thank you to Nadia Langley `23 and Allison Moore `24, who opened the door into The S&B for me in the first place, and to Zach Spindler-Krage `24.5, Lyle Muller and Maure Smith-Benanti, without whom I would have been completely overwhelmed by this job. Last, thank you Charlotte Krone `25, for whom I am eternally grateful –– but especially this semester! The last few months, challenging as they were, were made easier by working with someone that I trust as much as Charlotte.
Looking forward, I have so much confidence and faith in Taylor Nunley `26 and Sarah Evans `26, who are two of the most thoughtful, smart, hard-working people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing at Grinnell!! I can’t wait to read next year’s paper from afar!
