We have come to the end of the academic year, and there is so much to look back on! Having a year of experience as the Editor in Chief (EIC) of The Herald, I am excited to be returning to my position as EIC next year. I hope to bring my experiences and lessons learned with me and use it as an opportunity to continue to grow The Herald.
As a team, we have had many successes this year, and I have been continuously excited about our topics covered. As a campus and as a broader community, it has been a year of change and news-worthy content from Feature articles to Opinion pieces. I have enjoyed working with a team dedicated to highlighting a variety of topics about content important to the community.
A particular favorite of mine has been our special 8-page, color editions for Corn, the Spring “Alice in Wonderland” issue, and now our upcoming summer issue. I think it is a culmination of creativity, thoughtful articles and of course a love letter, if you will, of our dedication to spotlighting the members of Meredith College and the broader community.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the work and dedication of The Herald staff, as well as support from you, the readers! As we move into a transitory phase before the new academic year, we want to hear from you. A goal for my final year as EIC is to focus on the development and engagement surrounding print and online articles, as well as social media. Keep an eye out for opportunities to share your thoughts with us as a staff and what you hope to see from us.
Thank you to my team and Editorial Board for your continued support and trust in me. I look forward to where we will go in the upcoming year. As an Editorial Board, we felt that it is important to reflect on our year and continuously revisit what the paper means to us and our campus.
Haileigh West: It is bittersweet to be closing the chapter on my time with The Herald as I graduate with my fellow class of 2024 seniors. Working with this publication has taught me so much and allowed me to grow in ways I did not know possible. I have been able to move from reporter to opinion editor and now to associate editor, and I am so thankful for those who have believed in me every step of the way.
The Herald sparked my love for journalism and gave me the opportunity to write about everything from campus news to pop culture.
I am incredibly proud of the entire staff and the work that we have done this year. I know that with the collaborative and supportive individuals on this team that I am leaving it in the best of hands. I cannot wait to see what you all do next year!
Clary Taylor: This has been my second year with The Herald and my third semester as News Editor. Working with The Herald has been one of the highlights of my time here at Meredith. The team behind The Herald is made up of incredibly talented people that I’m honored to work with every day.
Cady Stanley: This fall was my third semester serving The Herald as the Arts & Entertainment Editor. It has been an honor and a privilege to work on the Editorial Board alongside so many passionate and dedicated writers. I am so proud of all of the work that The Herald has done this year, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this publication.
Caroline O’Daniel: Looking back on my second year serving as a copy editor for The Meredith Herald, I’m so grateful for the experience I continuously gain through this position. It’s an honor to edit for such talented and passionate writers, and I look forward to another productive year of journalism!
Lola Mestas: This was my first year on The Herald and the editorial board! It’s been a whirlwind of having to learn on my feet and adapt quickly to the style and level of quality for The Herald, and it’s been fantastic the whole time. Being able to write and report on campus happenings has really helped me to connect with Meredith College as a whole. I’m hoping to continue to grow in my position as copy editor in the Fall semester, and I’m excited to see what’s next for The Herald!
Liese Devine: This was my third semester on Herald staff and my first year on the editorial board. It's been a really hectic but rewarding experience to take on an editorial position but I love all the interesting articles I get to read because of it. Our writers are massively talented and getting to be someone who helps get articles published is really fun! I’m proud of all the work we’ve put out this year and hope to see even cooler stuff in the future!
Destiny Calvin: For the past two semesters, it has been a great pleasure to see the podcast team grow in size and ideas. I am so honored to be a part of a staff that’s supportive of the podcast. I am looking forward to growing the podcast and leaving some kind of mark in my senior year. I am so grateful to have such wonderful people who make up the Herald staff and podcast team. I can’t wait to do it all again next semester!
Grayson Morris: When Destiny and I started the podcast last year with an iPhone and a dream, I couldn’t have imagined it to become what it has. I am so incredibly proud of our team for how hard they’ve worked to make this podcast what it is. I feel so lucky to work with such creative, and funny, people! I can’t wait to see how our team grows in the future and look forward to expanding this project more.
By Shae-Lynn Henerson, EIC & Editorial Board
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC