We’re in student media to learn
This week marks the last issue of the Thresher for the year, and for the seniors like myself, our last issue ever. I have been a part of the Thresher since freshman year. And it would not be an exaggeration to say it has defined my Rice experience. As someone pursuing a career in journalism after graduation, there has been no better place to learn than at this paper.
The Thresher is a job by definition (yes, we pay; no, not well). But it is also the place I have met some of my best friends and formed some of my favorite memories. Speaking to the journalism experience, the Thresher is a student media group, and in my four years I’ve seen how important both of those words are. We get a lot of attention for being “media,” and as a group with a large campus presence and channels to communicate with a majority of the broader Rice community, it’s important we take this seriously.
The other part of that is “student.” We are students first and we are constantly learning in our roles with the Thresher. Because we want to be held accountable by the community, we value feedback from readers as the best way for us to learn and grow and make sure the paper continues to fulfill its role on campus. It might surprise some people to know just how open we are to hearing this feedback. If you have thoughts, comments, questions or criticisms, please send us an email or even reach out to a staffer if you know someone.
Deviating now, because it is my farewell note and my last chance to write from the editor’s desk, I’m stealing a page from my predecessor’s book to write some personal thank yous. Firstly, to Ben Baker-Katz, a wonderful managing editor and co-leader: thank you for helping share the stress of Tuesday nights and being just an incredible friend over this past year. I cannot wait to see what you and the amazing Morgan Gage do together in the role next year. Thank you Ivanka Perez for both your friendship and sage wisdom. Along with Rishab Ramapriyan and Christina Tan, you were my role models coming into this position, and I’m ever grateful for that extra semester I had to work with you last fall.
This job would’ve been nothing without everyone on staff, especially the seniors, who made the office so lively and weekly operations so successful. We came back to a largely in-person format after over a year of remote work and the year was better than anything I could’ve expected. Thank you also to Katharine Shilcutt for stepping in as adviser in such difficult circumstances and being a blessing to all of us in student media.
And finally, thank you Kelley Lash. I wish more than anything that I could say all of this in person, but you were the greatest adviser and mentor, and the reason student media was such an amazing and supportive place in the first place. Though I won’t be there to see it firsthand after this week, I know the Thresher will carry on your legacy and make you proud.
More from The Rice Thresher
Beware of dissenters, reinvestigate the real Israel
Israel is a special place and arguably the most misunderstood in the world. We will be celebrating Israel’s 75th birthday at Rice, commemorating the occasion with a conference hosted by the Baker Institute on April 27, 2023. It is important to understand that the Jewish connection to the land of Israel goes back thousands of years. Jews were always in this land before Israel was created. As I prepare to graduate, having founded a Students Supporting Israel chapter at Rice, I want students to be informed about Israel and Palestine. There are many people who spew misinformation and will not want to listen to facts because of the false narrative they love to believe.
Thank you for letting me tell your stories
If there is anything I will miss about college, it is the Thresher. No matter how many long nights or years of my life I have given to this paper, I have never grown tired of the Thresher. Maybe because of a superb staff that impresses me every day with their talent and dedication to good journalism or the unwavering support and friendship (and fist bumps) from my co-editor Ben Baker-Katz, but, I think most of all, it is the work I was able to do here.
Thresher holds the memories of a campus
For the last two years, whenever someone has tried to make plans with me on a Tuesday, I’ve responded with some version of “I can’t, I’ve got Thresher.” The natural next question, after I explain that putting together a weekly paper takes up the vast majority of every Tuesday, is “Why do you spend so much time on it?” And silly as it may seem, I’ve never really come up with a good answer to that question.
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