It is one thing to be passionate about something, it is another to be in a room full of people who care deeply about the same thing as you. If I had to summarize my time at The Weekly in one sentence, it would be the previous. It’s pretty hard to put the experience of spending a few years of writing thousands of words into one, short, summary of them. When I think of my time at The Muhlenberg Weekly, I remember the people. I reflect on the late nights spent laughing with my friends, showing up to the office in my soccer practice gear, how serious it felt to me to change just a few words in making a story whole, how empowering it felt to write the articles I wanted to write and the incredible stories I heard from so many different people I may have not had the chance to meet elsewhere.
Writing for The Weekly has given me purpose and allowed me to be a part of something bigger than myself. There has always been something melancholy about taking that late-night walk home from the office and strolling down a silent, lit-up, academic row while the rest of campus was tucked away. The feelings that follow a meaningful publication, thinking of the perfect title, or last sentence for a wholesome article are quite indescribable.
Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I was not sure how I would fulfill it in college while studying the sciences. During my summer advising session going into my freshman year, I was shown a photo of my grandfather during his time at Muhlenberg standing in The Weekly office. It struck a chord inside of me to follow that unique characteristic and passion of his, that I had never known about before. Working up the courage to walk into The Weekly office on a Tuesday night during my sophomore year was the best decision I could have made and I am proud that I did. I had no idea those small steps would lead to something I would become so deeply connected to.
I want to thank every person I have had the honor of meeting and learning from since joining The Weekly, you all know who you are. I want to thank all of those who were always willing to give me a quote or provide perspectives to an article that would most likely only be reaching a small population. But isn’t that the beauty of life anyway? Being so passionate about something that the act of just participating is enough for you? I think that is what this whole thing was about for me. It has certainly been one meaningful journey that I will never forget, thank you.
