It is hard to compile four years of experience working at the University Press in just one story, but journalists everywhere have been able to manage with a “-30-” column.
A -30- column is a journalist’s final piece before leaving their publication. The symbol -30- was used as the shorthand for “end” or “no more” in certain telegraph codes. When newspaper articles were written on typewriters, it was also used to indicate the end of a story. And there cannot be an end without a beginning.
My time at the UP started in the fall of 2021. I was a freshman with little to no journalism experience. My high school did not have a newspaper and I (very stupidly) never participated in yearbook, so the only form of knowledge I had was four years of UIL journalism contests.
I remember opening the doors of the UP office to find the editors at the time, Tim Cohrs and Olivia Malick, working at their computers. Other than us three, it was a ghost town.
The pandemic clearly hit the paper hard. The usual weekly editions were gone and the student newspaper was reduced to online publishing. I expected a full house of operations, but was not going to let a skeleton crew weigh me down. I wanted to help bring the newspaper back to its full potential.
Every day for months, I came in and wrote stories. My hard work showed, because after only three months, I got offered a paid position.
I remember while talking to our adviser, Andy Coughlan, and he told me I wasn’t good yet. However, if I kept working hard, I could be the editor one day. It set my sights high. Now I had a goal.
In the spring of 2022, I got to meet our future sports and photo editors, Keagan Smith and Brian Quijada. We were the official three musketeers running the show, but we made it work with what little we had.
This went on for about a year, and by the summer of 2023, the goal Andy indirectly gave me came into fruition. I was made the editor of the University Press.
It blew me away. Being told I have what it takes, then making it come true was an incredible feeling. As I transitioned from high school into college, I had such little self-esteem and didn’t think I could do anything of this caliber. Now I felt I could do anything I set my mind to.
From there, everything was looking up for our organization. Being able to print physically again seemed like such an unreachable feat, but we were finally able to start thinking bigger.
I remember discussing the vision for the newspaper in the fall of my junior year, looking at Andy like he had gone insane when he suggested publishing once every two weeks, compared to once every two or three months.
I thought it was impossible as we still only had a small staff. I never thought we would be able to pull it off. Somehow, it worked and our print editions looked better than ever.
Overall, my favorite memory of working at the UP happened last December. Andy and I just finished the last paper before the winter break. As I was getting ready to leave, he out of nowhere, thanked me for everything I’ve done for the newspaper.
While he wished I could have had more opportunities to make mistakes and not have had to go in as intensely and as blindly as I did, he said I’ve been able to do it in stride. I’ll never forget what he said after all of that.
“You brought the paper back.”
Really? The weird girl with her nose in a book and was too shy for her own good brought back Lamar’s newspaper? It felt so weird to say out loud, but he was right.
In the past four years, the newspaper has changed a lot, and so have I. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for everyone at the University Press who encouraged me and helped along the way. I am truly grateful for all of the opportunities I received.
Now, I leave the paper in the hands of a young and eager staff who have, I hope, grown under my leadership. I’m leaving it behind better than I ever could have imagined.
-30-