It’s foolish to think that I could summarize my four-year career in The Nexus with “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” and yet I feel compelled to at least try. I think I owe it to this publication. 

As a freshman in online learning, I had absolutely no concept of what journalism was and how I could go about reporting on a community I did not yet belong to. And yet, with an unruly ambition to write, I was supported by a staff full of upperclassmen whom I’d never met in person as they guided me through the fundamentals of finding a story, conducting an interview, and writing articles worth sharing. This introduction to The Nexus showed me the key part that would remain most important to me for the next few years of my life: that the community within it would be like no other. 

More than anything, what I’ve come to appreciate most about The Nexus is the fact that everyone who’s ever been involved in it has taught me something. It’s because of interviewees who I’ve spent hours talking to that I now know how to prevent democracy from dying in darkness. It’s because of the commitment of our staff and advisors who have spent upwards of 20 hours a week in L104 perfecting each newspaper that I understand what it means to be enthusiastic about what you care about. It’s because of every editor who’s looked over my articles, meticulously moved commas, questioned word choice, and restructured angles that I’ve constantly been challenged to be a better writer. 

Even though the sense of community within The Nexus is no longer novel to me, the awe I feel when I’m fortunate enough to sit inside the newsroom and experience the people, the passion, and the product still feels hot off-the-press new. I couldn’t be luckier to have been able to call The Nexus staff my own. 

I give The Nexus two thumbs up.