If there is anything I’ll miss the most during my time at UMass Boston, it will be writing for the paper. I joined The Mass Media during my first year as a contributor, and my first-ever editorial was writing a recap of the Boston Student Mayoral Forum hosted at Boston University. I co-authored the article with my best friend, Zoie Roberson. I vividly recall how excited I was to attend the event and meet the Mayoral candidates, Mayor Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George, during the forum. Also, it was the first of many political events I attended in the city. I wrote my first piece to inform my peers about the 2021 Mayoral candidates and their positions on various issues. 

I remember having jitters writing for a paper for the first time, building a story and connecting points to make it cohesive. On a purely selfish note, it is one of my favorite articles, and something I hold very close to my heart because it was my first editorial and partly because of the writing process. In essence, it was one of my most responsible works in writing. Little did I know, I would join The Mass Media as a news writer the first semester. In the Fall 2022 semester, I assumed the role of News Editor, and now the time has come to step down from one of the most fulfilling roles I ever took on in my college career. 

I still have the privilege to report on the campus and city news, which for the record, I’ve enjoyed the most. Let me write something about the process and people involved in presenting those stories in the most comprehensible form. One thing I’ve come to appreciate the most is the patience required throughout the process, from choosing a pitch to accumulating the information and corroborating those pieces of information with numerous sources. The ability to generate the best possible content and work on an extremely tight deadline while juggling academics and extracurriculars is a lot. Not many people realize the work that goes into reporting each story, from chasing sources to conducting several interviews and email chains. Student journalists’ work is responsible for documenting stories and events that would go unnoticed otherwise. It’s a tough job but rewarding. 

I’ve enjoyed writing, but joining The Mass Media gave me ownership of my work. Indeed, this ownership comes with a big responsibility to report and write what we call a “fact” and nothing but. As a news writer, I never had the privilege to present my opinions on any topic, and sometimes biting my tongue was difficult. From covering the plight of the Africana Studies Department on campus to the College of Liberal Arts restructuring, and from covering on-campus events to city news, I’ve had the honor to report many instances and to represent student voices. Inevitably, there have been times when it seemed difficult to recover from writer’s block, but those times pushed me to do even better. 

Working for two years at The Mass Media has made me realize journalism is an ever-evolving field. We need young people, especially students, to take center stage in a newsroom and uphold the values of responsible journalism. Throughout my time at the paper, I’ve witnessed the power of student-run journalism, and it imbues me hope when I see more people writing for the paper. Finally, I would be remiss not to mention my readers who have been instrumental in my journey. Your simple compliment or a constructive remark helped all of us. 

I’m both heartened and saddened to bid farewell, but I am incredibly grateful to The Mass Media for allowing me to be a part of the team and entrusting me with the job of writer and editor. Thank you to my Editor-in-Chief Katrina Sanville, Managing Editor Skylar Bowman and my teammate Samantha Beady, for your patience and support in every possible way. As I take on other leadership positions on campus, my time at The Mass Media has come to an end. My experience has indeed been a transformative one, personally and professionally. When the time comes, I will not hesitate to pull an all-nighter to cover a story that affects the student body and my surrounding community. 

See you all in the paper—not weekly, though!