This semester is almost at an end. I, for one, am happy that it is and I bet many of you are happy as well. Classes are now about to try to cram a semester worth of knowledge into an almost-two-hour exam period. I hope that many of you have good plans for winter break. For those who are graduating this December, congratulations and good luck in all your endeavors.
This marks the end of my first semester as Editor-in-chief for the Independent. Being a leader was a new experience for me. I willingly admit that I am more a follower and not a leader. Throughout this semester, crucial skills I never knew I had came into play. Being persuasive and outspoken has never been my strong suit and yet now I was expected to convince people to do their jobs right. Being the last word on any major dispute is not something I was used to. It has been an interesting semester to say the least.
Being the EIC was like a trial of fire on leadership. I had to learn how to make sure everyone was doing their job and the paper came out on time. In my time on the newspaper, I had seen how hard everyone had worked to get 16 pages of good, solid content every other week. Being able to rely on responsible editors and fellow officers is the only way to make sense of all the disorder.
I am very happy with our efforts this semester and I would like to thank everyone who was directly involved in making this semester. That means all the writers, photographers, editors and officers that spent their free time to bring the best newspaper to the rest of the campus. Thank you all for your hard work.
I would also like to thank everyone who gave me feedback on how I was doing. I loved being able to walk into a room and have someone just say, “I read your column.” It did not matter whether they liked it or not, although I hope they did, but I loved that they picked up the newspaper and read the words that I spent a lot of time and energy writing. It was wonderful to know that people are reading the newspaper and most people are willing to share their opinions of how we are doing. The first time it happened, it was startling. Now, I am glad there are people coming up to where I work and telling how much they love the direction the newspaper is going.
Keep sending your feedback. We at the Independent love getting an idea on how this column and the newspaper are doing. We would also love to know about events on campus that you are doing. You can contact me at L-Ocasio@neiu.edu.