By Kait Laubscher
Associate Editor
This semester, for my senior capstone, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking and exchanging emails with a number of women who have been editors-in-chief of The BV.
These women range from one of my new friends Sylvia Burke, ‘59, to one of my best friends, Amanda Klein, ‘12. And every one of them has at least one thing in common with the group: they love The BV.
They told me dozens of stories of stress, slipping grades, huge mistakes and sleepless nights.
I feel no different.
As a past editor-in-chief and member of this admirable group of strong women, I, too, was pushed to the brink of a breakdown when everything seemed to go wrong at once. I was battered by lack of sleep. I was humiliated by a huge mistake.
But like these women of BV royalty who came before me, I learned how to be strong and stay rational when I could have crumbled under pressure. I learned to embrace earl grey tea when I could have succumbed to a three-hour nap. I learned to admit to and fix my mistakes when I could have run away in shame.
These women told me heartwarming stories of lifelong friendships fostered in BV newsrooms past and of the immense pride that comes from successfully putting out 13 issues of The Bona Venture.
I’ve made those friends. I’ve felt that pride.
And I have some people to thank for making that possible.
Thank you, Kristy Kibler, for giving me my first feature story assignment and for convincing me to stick with it when the raucous newsroom frightened a timid freshman to her core.
Thank you, Bryan Jackson, for selecting me as your assistant editor in the opinion section and for being one of the funniest guys I know.
Thank you, Amanda Klein, for seeing what I couldn’t when you asked me to be your managing editor, and for singing Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift with me when the nights got late and the stress got real.
Thank you, Carole McNall, for guiding me through my semester as editor-in-chief and answering my questions in record time — even at 3 a.m.
Thank you to my mom, my guy and my lovely roommates for being the best support system I could ask for. Your advice, encouragement and love made these last four years doable.
Thank you to BV past, especially the new role models and friends I’ve found in The BV’s leading ladies I’ve gotten to know this semester, for making The Bona Venture a proud tradition.
And BV future, I have one thing to say to you: put everything you have into The BV and let the paper speak for itself. It will scream.
laubscks@bonaventure.edu
