In my junior year at the University of Utah, two of my friends died tragically. Maggie Fix, my partner for driver’s ed, lost her four-year battle against cancer. She never failed to make me laugh, and I certainly crashed into a cone or two with her back-seat commentary. Believe me, I’m a good driver now, but I owe a lot of my cautionary tactics to her.
I also lost Maggie Bringhurst, an insanely talented former opinion writer of mine, in a fatal car crash. I can still remember, on the day before she died, she expressed how excited she was to finish a piece on American policing — a topic we were both fond of and had very strong thoughts on. Days later, my Editor-in-Chief texted me that I would never see Maggie alive again, and her unfinished draft on policing sits un-edited in my files. I don’t think I’ll ever delete it.
The death of my friends was, of course, incredibly hard to handle. But the trials of junior year didn’t stop there. During the same fall semester, I battled through two Title IX cases, my relationship with my family deteriorated and I suffered racist taunts from fellow U students. I also lost 20 pounds grieving the lives of my friends.
While I could handle the racism and my rocky family relationship, the Title IX cases really did me in. Both involved sexual harassment claims about men I worked in close proximity with. I have watched movies and heard stories of men acting inappropriately towards women, and even taken lectures on it, but you never think too much of it until it happens to you.
But hey, sh*t happens.
While my junior year at the U was, easily, the hardest year of my life, I only survived it because of the support system I built at the Chronicle. I simply would not be here today — at the U, in Salt Lake, probably alive — without so many people.
I found out about the Chronicle when I came across a copy of the Openings Issue as a freshman. After reading an opinion piece within the pages, I reached out to the writer to offer words of praise. My then-future editor and now one of my closest friends, Sheely Edwards, told me to apply to the desk.
The rest is, thankfully, history. After two years of writing and growth under the impressive tutelage of Zahra Saifee, Sasha Poma, Nain Christopherson and Sheely, I rose to the ranks of Opinion Editor. I led the writers alongside the beautiful and super-smart Sarah Buening, and together, we built the desk into a force to be reckoned with. Not to brag or anything, but the Opinion Desk was basically famous on campus. Our well-written hot takes ruffled so many right-wing feathers.
As Opinion Editor, I had my fair share of challenges. But of all my positions at the Chronicle, being Opinion Editor was the most rewarding.
I learned so much from my team members, both above and below me. I learned a lot about balancing friendships and professional relationships, as well as exercising empathy when you have deadlines to meet and a job to do. I learned how to rally a team and foster growth among even the stubbornest of writers. I learned that if I wanted something done right, I had to do it myself. I learned that a little fun goes a long way, but it’s okay to be strict at times too. I learned to stand up for myself and for others. I learned that my communication skills needed work. But overall, I learned that it took a lot to be Opinion Editor, and that I couldn’t do it alone.
Thank you to my editors and to Sarah for helping me get through the constant bullsh*t of the day. Your guidance and advice helped steady me in my least stable times, as did your jokes.
Thank you to my epic team of opinion writers. KC Ellen, Angela, Gaby, Kayla, Maddie, Jeffrey, Sebastian, Elle, Maggie and Addison, your impact cannot be described.
Thank you to my current team, who made my job as Special Projects Managing Editor literally the easiest role at the Chronicle.
Thank you to everyone, past and present, who taught me so many lessons. That includes the Chronicle, which sparked a love for student journalism and opinion writing I’ll forever have.
And thank you to my friends, gone too soon, who helped shape me into the strong and resilient person I am today.
