Words matter. I’ve heard this small phrase more times than I can count. However, as I have written for the Crier over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege to see how words make an impact.

I’ve seen words bring our community together in celebration for Relay for Life, ordinations, OCIA Masses, and commencements. I’ve seen words bring hard topics to the forefront, especially in matters related to sexual assault, mental health, and various forms of discrimination. I’ve seen words amplify voices in groups such as the EMS team, the Mental Health Committee, Men of Color, the Harbor, and many more. I’ve seen words bring attention to social issues and programs, especially in articles featuring Anselmian B.R.E.A.K., the Valentine’s Day Dance, the Clothesline Project, the Intercultural Unity Retreat, and opinion articles in this paper. I’ve seen words excite our campus with announcements of a new Humanities Institute and nursing school and applaud new additions and ordinations in the monastic community. Words have and continue to play a vital role in our experiences at Saint Anselm College and in our lives as a whole.

Four years ago, I never would have imagined that signing up for the Saint Anselm Crier at a club fair would change my life so drastically. I never would have realized the impact that writing would have, how it would help me grow, and how good it would feel to be apart of something bigger than myself.

So, as I prepare to graduate this May, I wanted to take my pen to this paper one last time to write about exactly this: the power of the pen is perhaps the most undervalued ability here on the Hilltop. Craig Lounsbrough is credited with saying that “we have the power of the pen to write the next chapter, and the privilege to author the next page in whatever fashion we choose. Yet, seldom do we understand the power of the pen and the privilege of the page.” The pen often draws us to action vs inaction, to advocacy vs forgetfulness, to unity vs division, to change vs letting things stay the same.

The biggest lesson I’ve taken from my time writing for the Crier is that our stories make an impact. The work of writing is never an easy task but always a necessary one. Out of every job and opportunity around campus, writing for the Crier ranks towards the top. Why? Because the task of writing has the ability to transform lives.

Over these next few years, many decisions will be made that will affect the mission and identity of our college for years to come. This, of course, is no easy task for the administration, board of trustees, and monastic community to keep in mind. However, you as students of the future have a voice. When you see something that upsets you going on, pick up the pen and write. Never underestimate the power that your voice carries. Bring to light new issues, take inspiration from one another and from the good in the world, look back to the past but move forward towards a bright future. And when you don’t see change, continue writing. Empower our campus and community to be the best it can be and don’t be afraid to have a different opinion.

I am so blessed to have written for the Crier over these past four years and I am sad to see it come to a close. I sincerely hope that wherever life takes me that I will continue to write in some way. I am also excited to see the new faces that will step up, write, and make a difference in the college community over these coming years. And for those who have accepted that call, never underestimate the power your pen has to change our college for the better.