The BV offers EIC confidence

Not only is Ryan Signorino an excellent editor, he is much better at math than I am. According to his calculations, I’ve spent around 969 hours working on The Bona Venture over the past seven semesters. A part of me physically feels like I can remember all 969 of those hours. But, despite long nights, playing email tag with what seems like every interviewee on campus, and countless stress-induced trips to Cafe La Verna to avoid my responsibilities, it’s safe to say that every minute I spent in and around the newsroom has invigorated my sense of belonging here.
There was never any giant epiphany. I always just figured I would be a writer because I didn’t know what else I could perform well enough at. I didn’t, however, have any groundbreaking life plans, and I very much wanted to remain under the radar during my time in college. The only thing in the way of my desire to remain unnoticed was the looming pressure of mandatory on-campus internship hours. Fortunately, a path that was initially chosen out of necessity turned into a three-and-a-half-year-long rendezvous with passion, excitement and spontaneity.
I was urged to join The BV by a classmate who has consistently taught me the importance of making your voice heard. That classmate is now my co-editor-in-chief and one of my best friends, Liam McGurl. Initially, I was skeptical, but I figured if Liam can do essentially almost everything on campus, I could write an article or two for the school newspaper. Little did I know that the buzz of the newsroom on that first Wednesday night would have me hooked. The next thirteen weeks were a crash course in journalism, which had me questioning everything I thought I knew—both about writing and my future.
I guess, since then, I’ve grown a lot more than I originally realized. I no longer plan to enter a career in news writing, but I’ve learned more than I could have ever fathomed. I’ve learned how to ask questions, I’ve learned how to listen, I’ve definitely learned a lot more about maintaining my patience, but most of all, I think I’ve learned a lot about myself.
I’ve struggled with my confidence for a long time. I always looked at my linguistic abilities as a negative; I was the nerdy friend who enticed giggling every week when I handed my English tests in 30 minutes before everyone else. I was so used to being different that I didn’t realize there was an entire group of people who were just like me sitting in the basement of the Reilly Center, people who have taught me that the power to tell a story can take you anywhere from the first floor of Robinson Hall to London and back.
The leadership and friendship that I have encountered during my time in the newsroom are paramount to my experience here at St. Bonaventure. I’m thankful to have had the experience of working with so many talented reporters, each of whom have taught me something completely different about what it means to be a writer. I am especially thankful for Diana McElfresh for her spirit, Brandon Fields for his abstract thinking, Emily Losito for her patience, Ethan Kibbe for his diligence, Jenn Eng for her sense of humor, Emmy Kolbe for her fastidious attention to detail, Liam McGurl for seeing the best (and sometimes the worst) in me and Molly Oas for her vivacious energy. I have had the pleasure of learning from them all for the past four years, and am confident that their work will continue to be a source of inspiration to both myself and The Bona Venture staff.