By: Matthew Orquia
There are few times that I felt a greater sense of panic than I did during the final push to get the very first Southern Accent issue of the year ready for publication. As the newly minted editor-in-chief, it was my first time leading “editing night,” when the paper’s editors and layout designers get together to prepare the week’s issue of the Accent.
Editing nights are often long and grueling, but this one was especially arduous, as more questions, decisions and problems were lobbed my way than I thought I could handle. However, with many calls to Alva James-Johnson, faculty sponsor of the paper, and the hard work of many staff members, we successfully published the first issue.
It was hard to imagine going through the same thing for another 20 issues, but here we are at the end of the semester, and despite countless challenges along the way, the Accent has never missed a publication, even if on several occasions I thought it might.
This May will mark my completion of three years at the Accent. Sophomore year, I had the privilege of working as news editor under Alana Crosby, and junior year, I worked as managing editor under Amanda Blake. I am immensely grateful for the lessons I learned under the leadership of Alana and Amanda. Their examples helped me understand what it meant to be a student-journalist.
To Amanda, I am especially thankful for the trust she gave me and her unceasing dedication to improving and upholding the standards of the Accent. I could not have asked for a better example of a leader, writer or friend.
I am also thankful for the Student Association Cabinet officers I worked with this year. Despite the floor that separates our offices, I am happy to have been part of the team and proud of the things we accomplished.
My thanks also extends to Vice President for Student Development Dennis Negrón, Director of Student Life and Activities Alexis Grentz and Administrative Assistant for Student Development Teri Reutebuch, all of whom provided me with invaluable help and were a pleasure to work with this school year.
As cliché as it sounds, one of the most impactful things I have learned while working for the Accent is the beauty of teamwork. Watching the Accent team work together to overcome challenges and pursue hard stories has been the highlight of my time at the paper. I am grateful to each and every staff member that contributed to the Accent this year, and I hope you are proud of the many things you accomplished. Your work is what made the 80th volume of the Accent possible.
We owe a special thanks to this year’s layout designers, Jorge Pontarelli, Ana Zelidon and Nyah Jackson — your talents and dedication are much appreciated.
To my managing editor, Hayden Kobza, aka “The Firefighter,” thank you for never being afraid to tackle the biggest and most controversial stories and for stamping out the many fires that sparked at the Accent this year. You are a natural journalist, and I cannot wait to see what you do with the newspaper next year.
Professor Johnson, it is difficult to express on paper how much you have done for me. Thank you for recruiting me to the Accent and thinking I had the potential to be a leader before I ever would have thought so myself. You have not only been a mentor to me as a journalist, but you have also made a significant impact on my life that won’t be forgotten. As always, I wish I could have done more to continue pushing the Accent toward bigger and better things, just as previous editors have done, but at the same time, I am so proud of what this year’s team accomplished, and none of that would have been possible without you.
My final thanks must go to those who read the paper and continue to support the Accent and student journalism. This year’s team was dedicated to serving you and informing you to the best of our ability.
Editing the Accent has been one of the most difficult things I have done thus far in my life. Each issue presented a new challenge, and many left me wondering if I had the capacity to continue. However, as I stare down the last editing night of the school year, I’m no longer consumed with panic or fear, but a sense of satisfaction at the accomplishments of this year’s team and a hope for the future of the paper.
