My Final Article

This is the final hardcopy issue The Vanguard Voice will publish this semester, and it is also the last issue in which I will be Editor-in-Chief.

In Spring of 2020. I registered for ENGL 319: Publishing: Newspaper for the first time. I expected to write for The Vanguard Voice and learn about AP style and Journalism. I never expected to become an editor, let alone the Editor-in-Chief.

Throughout my life, I have actively avoided any position which might draw attention to myself, but ironically I somehow end up in leadership positions anyways.

So, in Fall of 2020, I became the Editor-in-Chief and immediately devoted all of my extra time to the Newspaper class and its development. The Voice was practically nonexistent to students at Vanguard University and the COVID shutdowns only exacerbated its status.

I really wanted to launch our newspaper forward and reinstate The Voice as part of campus culture. Unfortunately, there was no system in place for the Newspaper to succeed at that time. Instead of devising new and creative ways to market the newspaper while classes were remote, I spent hours reverse engineering past articles on our website because there was no one to teach me how to publish.

There was also no central catalog of knowledge so unimportant information like social media passwords were lost. Of course, one can always reset the social media password as long as you have access to the email. We did not have access to the email.

Needless to say, it was a complicated and frustrating process, but I attacked it passionately in between online classes, and maybe during class too, but don’t tell my professors.

Now as the newspaper moves into our next semester, I believe this program is the most prepared it has been for a long time.

Since i am graduating, we have decided on a new Editor-in-Chief for the Fall 2022 semester. This new Editor-in-Chief is confident and capable. This individual deserves all the congratulations available for their accomplishment. I hope their journey is just as enjoyable, but not as confusing, as my own.