By Max McAuliff, Opinions Editor
As I look back on my two semesters as opinion editor of The Bona Venture I can think of two words, crazy and fun. When Matt asked me if I wanted to write an Op-Ed for The Bona Venture in the fall of 2019, I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I was nervous because I had no idea what an Op-Ed was and had to Google it to find out. But also because as a business major I had absolutely no experience writing anything other than essays for general education requirements.
I enjoyed writing about numerous topics from Star Wars to NFL owners and was excited to be a staff writer for The Bona Venture. I never thought however that I would be one of the editors.
As the only editor who was a business major, I was once again nervous about the new role I would take on. Little did I know that this was where the words fun and crazy would come into play.
Wednesday nights in the newsroom are some of the most fun nights I have had at college and they are also some of the craziest. My first Wednesday night in the newsroom ended at about 2 a.m. when the opinion pages were finally finished. While 2 a.m. has not always been the case, it was certainly a crazy first impression.
I will miss watching Yankees games, the NBA Finals or the presidential debates when we should be focused on finishing the task at hand. I will miss teaming up on Tom Seipp to consistently remind him how bad the Mets and Knicks are and I will miss the other numerous sports debates the newsroom has been witness to.
One of the most underrated aspects of The Bona Venture is Friday morning paper deliveries. While I frequently ask myself at 6:30 a.m. why on earth I am awake, delivering papers is always a lot of fun. Shout out to former EIC Mike Hogan and future EIC Cammie Dutchess for our numerous 7:00 a.m. Dunkin and Tim Hortons runs. A pumpkin spice latte always makes the morning a little easier.
My friends and family frequently ask me why I became an editor for the newspaper. To be honest I did it for the oh so classic reason of getting involved. I did not expect however to love writing and editing for the college newspaper. Being an editor for The Bona Venture has taught me vital skills that I will continue to use for the rest of my life.
Twenty years from now when I look back on my time at The Bona Venture or am reading old articles, a lot of memories will come back. I will think back on exactly how fun and crazy Wednesday nights in the newsroom were. There is one thing I look forward to most, however. I look forward to reading old articles and thinking “wow, remember when COVID-19 was a thing?”
Thank you to everyone who has written an article for the opinion section during my tenure. Always remember that your voice and opinion is important, no matter what side you may be on.
To Erica, good luck next semester. Your dedication to your articles every week reassures me that the opinion section is in good hands. Mike, John, Cammie and Matt thank you for teaching me and helping me along the way these past two semesters. I have appreciated your help and friendship more than you know.
As always, go Bonnies!
mcaulimr18@bonaventure.edu
