Tribulations in Spite of the Trials

Illustration of the Editorial Staff of The Corsair by Carolyn Burt | The Corsair

One of the most important facets of a successful news organization is staff diversity with respect to race, age, gender, social status, and creed. This creates a conglomeration of different perspectives that can completely encompass the range of angles on an event. What results is often a snapshot of forty or fifty individuals in completely different stages of life. Stories in different chapters, all overlapping to inform.

This newspaper is, in many ways, an accumulation of these stories. Not just in the sense of news and opinion writing, but also the dozens of narratives that contribute to a complete publication.

It’s the story of strong women. My Managing Editor, News Editor, Opinion Editor, Culture Editor, and Design Director are all women who have defied the cultural shackles put on them and gone above and beyond to produce amazing work. Making up more than half of the editorial board, I have no doubt these forces of nature –– to whom I am eternally grateful –– will be leaders in this generation's fight for gender equality. With respect to their work for the paper and their conduct, they have demonstrated a relentless drive to succeed. Without these confidants, this newspaper would be nothing. In the face of bias and sexism, Carolyn, Jackie, Romelin, Allie, and Sonia, among others in the staff, have contributed something truly remarkable to the environment of the newsroom. 

It’s the story of success in the face of adversity. Time and time again this semester, my staff has been tested. Some have lost loved ones or experienced the anxieties of a locked down world. Others have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or had family members among the millions positive. Without exception, every writer, photographer, or editor who has been faced with these daunting circumstances has risen and produced great work. As a group, we have faced obstacle after obstacle, and yet, we have still produced a newspaper for which I have great pride. My admiration for those who have worked through the various forms of difficulty this semester is immeasurable. 

It's the story of Johnny and Sonia, who have spent this semester doing whatever’s necessary to achieve perfection. They have revolutionized the design of this paper. Perhaps more than any other pair of staff members, these two remarkably talented and hardworking people have been able to create a lasting change in our publication. 

Finally, it’s the story of a political science major who fulfilled a dream by leading a newspaper during a presidential election. Since I started in student journalism, I hoped that one day I might be able to captain a newsroom during a national election. As I sat on a Zoom call, with dozens of people at midnight that day, I knew I was part of something special. Fueled by caffeine and a sheer distaste for incompletion, we worked until the early hours of the morning. The dream was realized. It was everything I had hoped it would be––and then some.

I thank all of you for reading this semester's productions, and I hope that we were able to inform you and maintain some of the lost sense of SMC community. I thank the staff of this semester's paper for staying with me, through thick and thin. Without your work, The Corsair would not exist. I thank this semester's Managing Editor, Carolyn Burt, who has always given her opinion without filter or reservation, and worked harder than anybody else to make this possible. Finally, I thank our advisors –– your faith in me is a gift I hope I have repaid. You have answered the phone at all hours of the day and night, and given us the best advice possible. I am eternally grateful. 

I appreciate everybody involved in this paper, from advisor to staff to reader. Thank you all.