When I began at Madison College, I hated writing so much that I wrote my first academic paper about it in my English 1 course. The paper included detailed reasons of why I hated writing, how I developed into a writing hater, and comprehensive stories in which I demonstrated my past hatred of writing.

As editor in chief of The Clarion and a Writing Center tutor, the irony of writing this paper haunts me to this day.

Despite my red face when I tell this story, it is an integral part of who I’ve become. This paper led my instructor Matt Guenette, despite wholly disagreeing with everything I wrote, to tell me I was a talented writer. This was the first time someone ever told me that, and with his guidance, I decided from then on that I was, in fact, a writer.

That led to Guenette referring me to become a peer tutor for The Writing Center, where I met two new guides. Writing Center Director Sarah Johnson and Coordinator Susanne Treiber helped me realize my passion and ability not only as a writer, but as a mentor.

And eventually, my new found confidence in the skills my past guides helped me develop led me to visit the office of The Clarion, where I accidentally signed up as a reporter. To be honest, I had no clue what I was doing, but thanks to the help of Clarion Advisor Doug Kirchberg, I learned how to manage my new journalistic endeavors as I went.

Though this introduction may seem like a thinly veiled way to show appreciation for those who have helped guide me to where I am today, I do have an ulterior motive. Although Guenette, Johnson, Treiber, and Kirchberg have been my past guides, it is now you, the reader, who will guide what I do as your editor in chief.

The biggest accomplishment I could achieve in my new position would be to successfully represent the diverse community that Madison College is within the pages of The Clarion. I pledge that The Clarion will always be an institution on this campus that guarantees to amplify the voices of our students. Your thoughts, opinions, anxieties, struggles, and successes are what guides me now.

So although my new position as editor in chief may be challenging at times, I know that I have the best guides in the business to help me achieve my goal.