When I came to Saint Anselm my freshman year, I was conflicted. Part of me wanted to be a counseling psychologist, while the other wanted to pursue a dream I gave up on in high school. Growing up, I wanted to be a news writer for The New York Times. However, by high school, I put away that dream and instead wanted to become the most prestigious thing I could think of: a neurosurgeon. I still enjoyed writing for my small high school paper, The Pawprint, and took journalism classes.

By the time I got to Saint A’s, I knew it wasn’t too late to get back to my childhood dream of becoming a journalist, so I decided to write as a guest writer for The Saint Anselm Crier. My guest writer spot soon became a regular position, as I wrote more about campus spaces and events like Hispanic Heritage Month, The Intercultural Center, and the opening of The Harbor back in 2018.

During my sophomore year, I took Father Jerome’s journalism class. Before meeting Father Jerome, I thought it would be similar to my high school journalism class: we would have assignments here and there, then watch movies on famous journalists. However, I was wrong in the best way possible. Father Jerome challenged me in ways I could not imagine. He taught me to be inquisitive, objective, and how to interview my sources effectively. Of course, I cannot forget about the infamous inverted period!

Father Jerome saw in me a competent journalist and talented writer that I did not see before. When Father Jerome and Juliann Guerra, our news editor at the time, asked me to serve as the next news editor, I took them up on the challenge.

Being part of the Crier has been an experience I will never forget. One of my favorite memories was being in the spin room with journalists across the country during the February 2020 “First in the Nation” Presidential Debates. I was able to interview Amy Klobuchar as News Editor of the Crier, a feat some seasoned journalists in the press hall didn’t get to do! Knowing me as a college student and part of the Crier staff, she took the time to answer my questions, which was really cool.

Getting to work with Father Jerome and our amazing staff has truly been an experience of a lifetime. I will miss our Sunday night content meetings, where Father Jerome makes fun of us for half an hour (not kidding), and I will miss being in the newsroom until 10 o’clock at night (kidding). While it can be challenging at times, I wouldn’t change anything about my time as a Crier staff member.

It has been a joy training the new editors and seeing them grow as writers. Our successors are really talented and I know they will do amazing things with the Crier when we are gone. To the Crier and Father Jerome, it’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later.