At the beginning of this semester, I wrote a welcome address promising to bring The Bona Venture into the digital age more effectively. I’m happy to say that this semester’s staff has made great strides in that effort, but I cannot say we have eradicated the issue.
This semester, The Bona Venture’s website has undergone a makeover, the staff has live tweeted every event on campus they’ve been able to attend and our coverage has become more in-depth and timely. The credit must go to the editors and writers of this paper who work tirelessly not only Wednesday nights but throughout the week while also balancing classes, extracurricular activities and social events.
I’m thankful to have worked with a group of people who are so dedicated and passionate. It has been comforting knowing I can text anyone on the staff and ask them to cover a story, even if it’s not for their section, and have them accept the assignment and do it well. These students bring fresh ideas and an inspiring buzz into the newsroom.
For the first time ever, The Bona Venture hosted a debate for the Student Government Association presidential election. This idea came from Lian Bunny, photo editor, less than a week before we actually hosted the debate. Her suggestion wouldn’t have been nearly as fruitful—if at all possible—without the immediate support and contributions from the staff. It was so rewarding to see a team of self-starting students take on an idea from a peer and put all of their energy into making it happen. Every day I am amazed and excited to lead The Bona Venture as editor in chief.
The first week of my freshman year, former News Editor Nate West asked me to join the staff as the assistant news editor. I had an inkling then that this newspaper would be a huge part of my college career. What I didn’t know is that I would be so fiercely dedicated to a group of about 15 students, a room in the basement of the Reilly Center and some dingy, mismatched furniture.
It has been an honor and a damn good time to stay up until 5 a.m. listening to music from every decade—notably Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” on repeat—and laughing with these folks. Julia Mericle and Diana McElfresh have put countless hours of their lives into helping me make this paper run smoothly each week, and I can’t thank them enough for their dedication to and excitement about the craft. Carole McNall, advisor to The Bona Venture and assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, made herself available to answer every question and guide me through this experience; I couldn’t have done it without her.
While there are still improvements to be made with The BV, I’d like to think I’m leaving this paper a little better than before. And I suspect Diana will do the same next semester as she takes over as editor in chief. Each editor needs to strive to be better than the last, not to discount the previous editor’s accomplishments, but to improve the paper for for the students who create it and the readership.
I leave the staff with this quote from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: “Working hard is important, but there’s something that matters even more. Believing in yourself. Think of it this way: Every great wizard in history has started out as nothing more than we are now. Students. If they can do it, why not us?” Harry said this to Dumbledore’s Army—just a group of dedicated students who believed in something—as they prepared for the fight of their lives. BVers, believe in something. If nothing else, believe in yourselves. You’ve proved your talent time and time again. There is still more to learn, and there will always be room to improve, but as long as you believe that nothing can hold you back but yourself, you are past the biggest obstacle you can face. To quote one of my favorite fictional professors, John Keating, “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
Thank you for a great semester. There’s no other way I would have rather spent it.
Signing off—
Hannah Gordon is the
Editor in Chief of The
Bona Venture. Hier email is
gordonhr13@bonaventure.edu
