Written by: Amanda Blake
The Accent is hiring, and you should apply,” my sister told me. She sent an Instagram story posted by the student newspaper to prove her claim.
I asked why I should join. I didn’t know what the “Southern Accent” was. “If you’re majoring in journalism,” she said, “working for the Accent would help you gain experience.”
“That’s a rare valid point by my sister,” I thought.
It was the summer of 2020. Soon, I would be a freshman at Southern Adventist University. At the time, I was bored from weeks of a COVID-19-induced quarantine and unfulfilled from a senior year I concluded by pressing “Leave Meeting” on Zoom. So, I applied to work as a reporter for the Accent. “It might be fun,” I thought.
Paola Mora Zepeda, then editor-in-chief, hired me, trusting me to report accurately and ethically despite my limited experience. I jumped into the deep end; I did a hard thing. I learned how to think like my audience, work hard under tight deadlines, get both sides of the story and make tough phone calls despite my innate aversion to speaking on the phone as a member of Generation Z.
By the fall of 2021, I was news editor for the Accent. A year later, I became managing editor, and that spring, I applied for and attained the editor-in-chief position. Who needs sleep their senior year, right?
Eighty-five articles and 79 issues later, here I am — ready to be done, admittedly — but also experienced, fulfilled and anchored to the greatest source of strength there is: hope in Jesus.
In 2022, the Chattanooga Times Free Press published a news article I wrote for the Accent. This school year, I also was able to aid my peers and watch their articles be published by the metropolitan paper, accomplishments derived from the Accent’s community news initiative and partnership with Center for Community News (CCN) at the University of Vermont. Several recent Accent articles have also been republished by Adventist Review and Adventist World. Helping other young journalists grow has been the highlight of my tenure as editor-in-chief.
“Eighty-five articles and 79 issues later, here I am – ready to be done, admittedly – but also experienced, fulfilled and anchored to the greatest source of strength there is: hope in Jesus.”
Of course, my journey and the Accent’s growth were made possible with the help of editors-in-chief I worked under. Paola Mora Zepeda (2019-2021), Megan Yoshioka (2021-2022) and Alana Crosby (2022-2023) are outstanding leaders, and I am remarkably grateful for each of these women.
Their professionalism, drive and friendships encouraged me to continue the paper’s legacy. I am also grateful for the editors before them, including Dennis Negrón, now vice president for Student Development.
Thank you, Negrón, Director of Student Life and Activities Alexis Grentz and Administrative Assistant for Student Development Teri Reutebuch, for helping me serve my team and this university. I have enjoyed working with and getting to know each of you. I am also thankful for the support I have received from the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC). My SJC professors trained me to report well and act ethically, to always remember Whom I serve first.
I have also received constant support from my fellow Student Association Cabinet officers. Working alongside each of you has taught me valuable lessons about leadership and teamwork. I am excited for the student body to experience the work of my fellow student media directors: Jennifer Corral, Memories editor, and Houston Beckworth, Strawberry Festival director. You both have inspired me to continue working hard throughout this school year, and I know students will be blessed by your final creations.
I must thank my team. It was my editorial staff, reporters, photographers, designers and managers who created the 79th volume of the Accent. I was just the person annoying them with text messages and emails all year. To my managing editor, Matthew Orquia, thank you for going above and beyond to make my life easier. You not only managed writers exceedingly well but also produced excellent articles yourself. I am leaving the Accent in talented hands.
Professor Alva James-Johnson, I could write pages upon pages upon pages expressing my appreciation for you. A hundred pages would not be enough. I will try my best to express myself meaningfully in a single paragraph (No one knows better than you that condensing material has proven to be my greatest challenge. But you’ve taught me well, although perhaps not well enough. This is getting long. Two paragraphs, it is!)
Professor Johnson, you have apologized numerous times for your ambition as the Accent’s staff sponsor. Each apology was unnecessary. You equip and encourage your students and staff. This year, you worked just as hard, if not harder, than I did to ensure the Accent maintained its high and ever-growing standards of reporting. Thank you for partnering the paper with CCN, and thank you for pushing me to be the best leader I could be. I was prepared to serve as editor-in-chief because I had three years of your mentorship under my belt, and I was able to maintain my joy and passion for the paper throughout the year because of your friendship.
Finally, I must thank my friends and family. My parents taught me to work hard, my sister introduced me to the Accent and my friends kept me going, even when apathy and exhaustion threatened to pull me under.
Leadership does not come easily to me. I struggle conveying my expectations, delegating and remembering that a good leader learns the individual communication styles of their followers. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve stared at the computers in the Accent office teary-eyed, yet too dehydrated to actually cry. I’ve mixed up my priorities and watched my physical health suffer. I’ve looked in the mirror and thought: “If Southern wants a raccoon mascot, I’m available for hire.”
However, I know myself far better now than I did in August, and that’s because I did a hard thing.
Readers, thank you for supporting the Accent and challenging me each week to produce better content. As I prepare to leave my role as editor-in-chief, please allow me to impart one last tidbit of truth. This time, it is based on my own experience:
If you do not challenge yourself, you will never learn who you are and Whom you need. Hebrews 6:19 paints a picture of the hope we who believe in Jesus may have because of His unchanging character, a hope that acts “as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” When the dangerous waters of work, weakness and doubt grew stronger than my resolve this year, I relied on my anchor to see me through.
Do hard things. Toss yourself in the deep end. Learn that God’s strength is necessary. Find the anchor for your soul, the unfailing hope that is not of this world.
