It feels so strange to say goodbye to The Daily Campus. I’ve been part of the organization for my whole college career. From my first semester during the COVID-19 pandemic working virtually as a digital producer to my last semester as the Digital Editor. There have certainly been lots of ups and downs, some stressful conversations and very late nights, but I look back fondly on my experiences.
I remember when I first saw that The Daily Campus was looking for digital producers in its distant cousin The Daily Digest before my freshman year of college. I had spent the summer not doing much after having a drive-thru graduation and a somewhat lackluster end to high school, and this job posting seemed like a fun opportunity.
Though I did overstate some of my website experience, I was so excited to apply for the job that I remember staying up far past my usual bedtime to write my application. Despite working virtually, I loved getting the chance to read amazing articles and feel connected to the University of Connecticut while being at home. I have Courtney, the digital editor at the time, to thank for convincing me to apply for associate digital editor at the end of my first year. From there, I started working with Grace, who I’d also like to thank for being a great digital editor for two years. I loved the community that our little digital team formed and going into my senior year, I applied for digital editor.
This past year has been one of the most stressful times of my life, but also one of the most rewarding and fun. Being the digital editor exposed me to new scenarios where I had absolutely no idea of what to do and challenged me in ways that I had never imagined possible. I remember one time when I decided to update the theme on the website and had to rebuild the whole thing at 3 a.m. when everything crashed. Then there were the times when the executives had to figure out how to navigate the negatively trending financial state of the organization, or the time we were threatened with a lawsuit.
But, I also remember the weekly boba runs that the Thursday night crew went on (Thursday night is the best night!), the nights where the executives took turns bringing in sweet treats, the Halloween party at which I was a stack of boxes, the late-night philosophical conversations about life and the future and the unhinged icebreaker answers. There are so many things and people that I’m incredibly grateful for at The Daily Campus.
This year went about as smoothly as it could have, and I don’t think it would have been possible without my incredible girl boss executive team. Maddie, Naiiya and Raquel, I genuinely don’t know where The Daily Campus would be without you or what state of mental shambles I would be in. I’m proud of the work that you all have done to help better the organization and to leave things in a better state than when we first inherited our roles. I also want to shout out Ky’Lynn for being an incredible force in the digital team, and for being the incoming digital queen! I can’t think of a better person to leave things to.
I want to also thank the friends that I’ve made and people that I’ve met: Shannon, Van, Skyler, Connor, Emily, Ben, Hayden, Karla, Jordan, Stratton, Haleigh, Colin, Janella, Jess, Nell and so many more incredible people that I can’t fit into this space. And last but not least, I want to thank Ryan, who has probably heard much more Daily Campus drama than he should have and has been my voice of reason (sorry TSOS, we have been dating for the past two years… while I generally do not condone dating your employees or coworkers, I do really like him).
I love the friends and connections that I’ve made, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. While I am a little sad to leave, I’m also ready to go. I’m proud of the growth that I’ve personally made and that the organization has made. The Daily Campus has been left in very capable hands and I’m so excited to see where you all take things in the future, I just know it’ll be great!!
With much love,
Charlotte 🙂