This has been a whirlwind of semester and a time of change and growth for The Herald. Stepping into the Editor in Chief position has been a gratifying and rewarding experience. I feel that I have learnt so much as a leader and gained such useful experience from those around me.
To my board, I am endlessly grateful for your continued efforts and behind the scene work you have done to ensure the integrity of the paper and organization. You are wonderful editors, writers and humans whom I have had the pleasure of working with. Haileigh, as my Associate Editor, you have been an endless support and I appreciate having you in my corner. A big shout out to the Angels After Hours podcast who have done a fantastic job in broadening their platform and engaging in meaningful and memorable content.
To my staff, we have seen many new people join and it has been a delight to see the growth of such talented and enthusiastic writers both new and returning. The topics covered this semester have been fun, exciting, in-depth and all round enjoyable to read. A huge thank you should also go to Dr. Duncan and Jeremy Spearman, who stepped into the advisor roles this semester. I think that we have taken adaptability in our stride and navigated these new roles together.
Last, but certainly not least, to our readers, thank you! You are what make The Herald a reality and drive us as writers. The goal is always to bring you the best, and most informed information that we can. It has been a joy to highlight the vast diversity of our Meredith and outside community and bring you information you may be interested in.
I am certainly looking forward to the spring semester, and I cannot wait to share all the exciting plans we have in store. I certainly hope you stick along for the ride and are as excited as we are!
Happy Holidays and best of luck with Finals season! The Herald will return to publishing in January, barring any breaking news stories over the break.
Liese Devine, Features Editor: This is my second semester on staff, and my first semester as an editor. Being an editor has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to be more involved with our newspaper, and has definitely been a big learning experience. As always, though, my favorite part of being on The Herald staff is getting to write about things I care about, and having a bigger audience to read about them. Seeing people on campus with a newspaper in hand is also a special feeling.
Lola Mestas, Copy Editor: This was my first semester on The Herald altogether, and my first semester as an editor! It was a lot of learning on the job and having to adapt to write for journalism rather than short stories. My favorite part of being on staff is getting to write reviews for concerts in the Music Department! As a music major, I firmly believe that our arts departments need more love, and it’s a really great exercise to improve my own listening and writing skills. My running joke with the staff is how I do not like having to remove Oxford commas. They are not allowed in AP style, however, I like Oxford commas. They just make everything flow better. To all the writers that I have had to remove commas for: it hurts me more than it hurts you.
Kat Whetstone, Contributing Writer: This was my first semester at Meredith, and my first semester on The Herald! I think my work on The Herald has been what I’m proudest of so far at Meredith – over Thanksgiving, whenever my extended family asked about the topic, I’d bring up the pieces I’ve created this semester. I’ve dreamed of being an investigative journalist for quite some time, and actually getting to do that job this early on in my college career is an absolute dream come true for me. The Diversity Council, Presidential Search, ISAD, and the Jane Harrison articles hold a special place in my heart. I love being able to investigate stories that catch my eye and my brain, and to write stories that I care so deeply about. The responses to these stories are just another wonderful emotional reaction for me – knowing that others care about what I have to say. Journalism, especially local journalism, is so important, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.
Caroline O’Daniel, Copy Editor: This has been my third semester copy editing for The Herald. It’s always an honor to edit for such talented and passionate writers, and I’m amazed by the way they’re able to come up with fresh and exciting ideas every week. I’m especially proud of our Editor in Chief, Shae-Lynn, and our Associate Editor, Haileigh, for holding this production together. Thank you, everyone, for another great semester!
Cady Stanley, Arts and Entertainment Editor: Working for the Herald is always a pleasure, and I grew just as much as a writer, editor and team member this semester as I have for the past three that I’ve worked on the publication. I want to thank all of our staff, the Editorial Board and our amazing Editor in Chief Shae-Lynn Henderson for making this semester so successful. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the Herald next semester!
Clary Taylor, News Editor: This has been my third semester with The Herald and my second on the editorial staff! Student journalism is something I’ve been passionate about since my freshman year of high school, and continuing my involvement in student media through my work with The Herald in college has been amazing. I’m proud of Shae-Lynn and Haileigh for holding everything together, Grayson and Destiny for continuing to run “Angels After Hours” and expand The Herald’s media reach, Cady for always having the best suggestions, Liese and Riley for an amazing first semester on the editorial staff, Odie and Lola for catching all my mistakes and of all the amazing writers I had the privilege of working with this semester.
Elaina Irving, Contributing Writer: This has been my first semester participating in The Herald as a contributing writer. In the semester that I have been writing for The Herald, I have really enjoyed getting to know the other writers on the staff and having the opportunity to share my interests with an audience of amazing readers. I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, but The Herald is probably one of my favorite ways I’ve gotten involved in the Meredith community. I’m excited to continue working with everyone and I am extremely proud of how hard we all work together.
Haileigh West, Associate Editor: Working for The Herald since my sophomore year has been one of the best experiences during my four years at Meredith. Being able to work up from Reporter to Opinion Editor and now Associate Editor is something that I am eternally grateful for. I grow as a writer, editor, and journalist every single day working for The Herald, and I could not do it without the incredible team of students and faculty that we have. I am so thankful for the hardworking spirit of so many of our new staff members this year, our wonderful editorial board, and most importantly Shae who has stepped into the role of Editor in Chief so gracefully. I can’t wait for one more semester with The Herald!
By Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC and The Herald Staff
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC
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