The death of undergrad

It is hard to believe that this is my last campus voice ever, and with that, everyone cheered. I am so incredibly grateful for The Muhlenberg Weekly and how it has been there for me throughout my four years at ‘Berg. First-year was not easy, especially with a global pandemic, but I vividly remember attending the virtual club fair where I decided to join The Weekly Zoom call. I met with Kat Dickey, who greeted me with their lovely bedroom background, complete with a “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) poster hanging on the wall. From there, I started writing and, before I knew it, Danny Milkis asked me to join as editorial staff during the end of my first spring semester. I vividly remember being caught off guard by this question and I was nervous about the decision to join leadership or not, but I am so thankful I did. It is the best decision I ever made at Muhlenberg and it has led me to meet some of the most intelligent, dedicated and inspirational people on this campus.

One of these people is my work wife Katie Conlon, who has only blossomed in her role as editor-in-chief and has been an inspiration for all of us. It has been a pleasure to work with both Sarah Wedeking and Keanna Peña, my wonderful fellow managing editors this year. Sarah is such a positive light and I am extremely appreciative of the grand reactions to my terrible jokes. Keanna is such an incredible writer and I am so thankful to have worked with her in multiple capacities. I look forward to her incredible work as editor-in-chief. Harry Glicklin has also been a great support system as copy editor and I am sorry for all the annoying questions, especially if glasswork should be one or two words. These are just some of the wonderful people I have worked with in my position of managing editor this past year.

I will always be thankful for the work of Cydney Wilson, one of the most brilliant people I know, and how she supported me with both the paper and as a peer. Cydney also put up with my delirious performances in the office, along with Ally Duvak, Mustafa Hall and countless others. Ally has been such a wonderful friend both in the office and out and it was an incredible feat to watch “-in-chief” this spring. I look forward to the continuation of the work of Muhlenberg’s very own Paula Vogel. Mustafa is an incredible person and I miss our banter so much. During my reign of the aux, I would play my latest music obsession in the office and gracefully listen to Mustafa’s opinions. I also could not go on without mentioning the one and only, Sara Vigneri. Sara has been such an incredible role model and I am honestly shocked she likes me, or does a decent job at pretending she does. I miss our adventures in Ireland, especially when we went crazy at The Bernard Shaw pub in Dublin 9. 

It is honestly hard to believe that I will never write in this paper again and I am going to miss the sheer chaos of it all. I remember during my sophomore year when the Boundless letters were first displayed on the college green. Someone posted a picture of them in our Weekly GroupMe and we made countless jokes about someone switching around the letters or stealing them. Then later that night, I went to a comedy show in Seegers Union with a friend and as soon as I exited Seegers, I was greeted with a lovely surprise. The letters now read “Nudeslobs” since someone arranged them in the somber hours of the moonlight. I grabbed a selfie, as one does when there are giant letters rearranged on public greenery, and then I sent it to our GroupMe right away. Laughs galore and jokes were spewed, but Sara thought I actually did it. The running “rumor” was that the administration would think Sara bribed me into rearranging the letters as a crude prank. Cydney had to prove my innocence and that it was just a joke, but it was an infamous moment nonetheless. It also shows the power of misinformation, see how it all comes full circle? It’s a challenge, but it’s so important to think critically in situations as they unfold. I am most appreciative of this paper for helping me realize the importance of the source and how “unbiased” is really just a myth. 

I look forward to the amazing work of The Muhlenberg Weekly in the future and I hope that this community only becomes more invested in the diligent work of this organization. The Muhlenberg Weekly has always been there for me, and I am glad to know it always will be. ROLL WEEKLY!