I never came to Samford with journalism in mind. In fact, the Crimson has been the most interaction with journalism I have ever had. Since freshman year, I have been a Biblical Studies major with minors in Classics and Philosophy. Journalism was more of a hobby for me than anything before the Crimson, having directed ATO’s Newsletter and hosted the podcast Club Sammitch for thirty episodes.
In some ways, I stumbled into this gig. I am passionate about telling stories that matter and getting the word out to students, and that passion, mixed with a “why not” attitude, led me to apply to the Crimson as a senior.
“As a senior? Why even start so late? You’re on your way out! Why should you care about student journalism?” I hear you ask (although this is probably more akin to a strawman argument in my head than my readers’ thoughts). It really is because I care so much about Samford and doing whatever I can to improve this place.
The Crimson has been my last hurrah as an undergraduate student. I ran the gamut of involvement at Samford and gained a lot of perspective, and I hoped by joining the Crimson, I could use that broad perspective of Samford to tell the stories that matter to the students and faculty. That is why I joined. Reflecting on my time, I hope I have accomplished that mission.
I wrote about a lot, to put it lightly: new organizations on campus like FIJI, figures in our history like Audrey Lattimore Gaston Howard, current events like Step Sing, Samford’s troubled history with desegregation and most recently the ongoing issues related to Samford’s current goals to expand in size, both of student population and acreage.
As that timeline suggests, I became more drawn to writing about “controversial” and “heavy” topics like Samford’s history with racial inequality and current issues that students care about the most, such as problems with construction and parking on campus, as my time went on. I could have never written articles like those without the help of my incredible editors and the cooperation of so many sources.
As I began to write those more “challenging” articles, like those about desegregation and Samford’s growing pains, I received more appreciation than I ever had for the more “standard” articles. However, I recognize that Samford’s administration may not have always entirely “appreciated” some of my articles, particularly those amplifying students’ frustrations about parking and Samford Horizons.
Despite that, I kept writing, fueled on by the students and even professors that displayed their gratitude for me telling the stories of this community’s discontent with Samford Horizons. It was certainly not easy, and at times was incredibly stressful and, frankly, even scary or aggravating.
Despite rumors to the contrary, our editors and writers work tirelessly to earnestly and truthfully reflect our sources each week. The Crimson is an organization that tries, and tries very, very hard. I am just one of our staff who put in a lot of time and effort this year. Regarding what we write, we always hold each other to a high standard of quality and objectivity.
Going into my senior year, I was somewhat doubtful I could still make an impact on this campus. In some ways, I was worried that my time had passed and that I should just ride off into the sunset and stop caring as a graduating senior. When the opportunity to write for the Crimson came up, I chose to keep trying, despite thinking my work would not matter as a senior.
That is my encouragement to anyone reading: keep trying. If you love and care about Samford like I do, don’t give up on it. Samford can only improve if the people who care are willing to fight for it. I fought for it, and I hope to pass on my torch to all of you.
Staff Writer
