Position(s): Managing Audience Engagement Editor (2023), SummerManaging Audience Engagement Editor (2022), Senior Instagram Editor (2022), Senior Day-to-Day Editor (2021), News Beat Reporter (2021)
Section(s): Audience Engagement, News
Semesters at The Daily: 7
“I’ll be in the newsroom soon.”
Throughout college, these words helped me through countless exams, papers, tears and every other stereotypically bad thing that comes with this time. It’s pretty unbelievable to me that three years ago, “the newsroom” meant my lonely freshman year dorm room where I first virtually logged into FestiFall with my sights completely set on The Michigan Daily. Opening up the Zoom to see editors chatting and smiling made me extremely nervous. In my mind, these people had it all figured out, and I wanted to work on the best college newspaper in the country just like them.
Completely forgetting every question I wanted to ask, I only managed to tell the virtual room full of editors that I thought they were all super cool. I wish I could go back and reassure that very nervous version of myself that I was doing the right thing. That I would get to play a part in countless Daily newsletters and posts on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. That my passion for making sure our journalism could reach as many people as possible would lead me to one of the most rewarding jobs I’ll ever have. And that I would trade in my lonely COVID-19-year dorm room for a lively newsroom full of some of the best and most talented people I would ever meet:
To Avery, Emma, Matthew, Aishani, Ingrid, Steven and the Audience coordinators: Thank you for working so hard whenever you were needed. I promise your work never went unnoticed and I couldn’t have asked for a better team at our desk.
Tina, our Instagram feed — not to mention everything else — will continue to be in the absolute best hands. You are truly the MVP of Audience and I can’t wait to see what you do next year.
Joey, it’s hard to imagine a world where @theblockm exists without you. Thank you for all the passion you brought to our little team and for making sure that the audience always knew which day in Michigan history it was, even if they had to get through every punctuation mark first.
To the 2023 managing editors: Not a day goes by when I’m not blown away by everything you all do. It’s been an absolute honor to bring your incredible content to feeds and inboxes across the world.
Connor, while I’d like to forget our Wednesday discussions on the eighth floor of the BMT, I’ll never forget the phenomenal times we’ve had in the newsroom. Paul, your positivity never ceases to amaze me and I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with you that didn’t make me laugh. I know Tony probably isn’t reading this right now, but he should be proud of everything you’ve done for Sports.
Dana, if your ability to lead The Daily next year is half as good as your copy editing abilities, you’re going to be amazing. Abbie, there’s no one I’d rather gossip with and rant to — you make the newsroom as fun as our other favorite place on campus. Thank you both for always letting me eat Copy’s snacks and being the reason that we don’t look grammatically foolish on socials and newsletters.
Kate, your commitment to The Daily is inspiring and I’ve loved every second of working with you. Shannon, from New York to Ann Arbor, you’re good at everything you do and I’m so proud to call you my friend. Thank you both for somehow being available at all hours of the day to help put out fires — even when I was just being dramatic.
Evan, thank you for teaching me almost everything I know about Audience. I ask myself, “What would Evan do?” whenever I need to make a decision, which means I’m still using Xd and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Cole, thank you for always making sure there is laughter at our desk, even when it means we have to play the quiet game. The countless captions you’ve written and graphics you’ve made pale in comparison to the way you’ve held our section together. You bring people together in ways that very few can, which is why I can’t think of anyone better to pass the torch to. It’s been an honor to watch you grow up and I can’t wait to keep seeing the amazing things you do for Audience. Proud of you lil bro.
Julia, it’s hard to believe that a year ago you were just a girl who had Slacked me a few times during our summer as MEs. Thank you for giving the best advice and teaching me that life is better with a Southern accent. I will never be able to cry laugh without thinking of our adventures in Ann Arbor, D.C. and the newsroom. Most of all, thank you for introducing me to the greatest press release of all time — I hope that one day there will be a monument in its honor, preferably around the same place as our favorite out-of-state establishment.
Zoe, you’re the best boss and friend I could ever ask for. Thank you for cheering me on and always making the tough decisions. It’s been a pleasure to spend all year trying to fill your shoes, and honestly, I still don’t think I’ve been able to do it. I can’t wait to be in the green apartment without thinking about breaking news or the end of big games, but at the same time, I don’t know what we’ll do without them. I appreciate you and everything you’ve taught me even more than $2 Tuesday.
Christian, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side for every hate comment, botched post and meeting in the newsroom. Thank you for being bad cop when I couldn’t and somehow managing to turn every big deal into a small one while still entertaining my drama. You didn’t have to take this job, but I will be forever grateful that you did (and not just because you work during SPT). These last few weeks, we’ve been talking about how in retrospect, this job is not that hard. But that’s not true. I can confidently say that you being my co has made the job a lot easier, but what we’ve accomplished during the past year is no small feat, and I’m so proud of us for doing it.
Nidhi, Kiera, Julia, Tess and Laken: Thank you girls for listening to me obsess over The Daily for the past three years; I hope it was at least a little bit entertaining. Thanks for always leaving the door unlocked for me to come home to, but most importantly, thank you for being the best roommates and friends. I promise I’ll make up for all the missed Sybilian movie nights next semester. Andrew, thanks for being The Daily’s No. 1 fan from the day we met.
Mami and Papi, thank you for insisting that I take a newspaper from each school we visited four years ago and encouraging my consumption of all journalism long before that. You both were the first people to put a newspaper in my hands, and I will be forever grateful for that. Thank you for being the people I call before, during and after work — and for picking up the phone every time. It is thanks to you that I know I can do anything, but it’s still always good to have a shoulder to cry on.
I still don’t have it all figured out. In fact, I think I have even less figured out now than I did freshman year. But I’m proud of myself for at least being able to figure out that 420 Maynard St. — and all the people in it — would come to define my time on this campus in the best way possible. I only hope more nervous freshmen can figure that out too.