After fulfilling every photography position on the Cigar for at least a semester since joining his sophomore year, graduation looms for James McIntosh. Photo by James McIntosh.
I am honestly not sure which thought is more jarring to me: the idea that in just over a month, I will be accepting my college diploma when it feels like I just got one from high school, or the fact that this is the last issue of the Good Five Cent Cigar that will feature some of my photos or one of my stories.
My name is James McIntosh. I will soon be graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice to attend law school.
I enjoy many hobbies, such as cooking and boxing, but ever since my freshman year of high school, I have loved photography. That love dimmed somewhat when I first came to URI. In adjusting to college life and trying to figure out what I wanted to major in, photography fell by the wayside. By the time I finally declared my double major towards the end of my third semester at the University, I hadn’t used my camera in months. I decided to look into opportunities for photography at URI, which led me to emailing then-Editor-in-Chief Ian Wiener to ask if the Cigar could use another photographer. And so it began.
I think the reason that it is so hard for me to come to terms with the thoughts of my time at both URI and the Cigar coming to an end is because, ever since I joined the Cigar as a contributing photographer in the spring semester of 2019, the newspaper has largely defined my college experience.
Since joining the Cigar, I have worked as a contributing photographer, staff photographer and now as the photo editor for the entire paper. Much of my time in between my studies has been spent at various URI events that the paper covered. From being on the turf at Meade Stadium and hardwood floors in the Ryan Center to the many events held on the Quad or in the Memorial Union, doing photography for the Cigar has given me an up-close view of many events that most students only see from the stands or at a distance.
Also, whether they are current members, former members or I met them through people involved with the newspaper, practically every significant person in my life at URI has roots that can be traced back to the Cigar, directly or indirectly. I live with the former Editor-in-Chief Theresa Brown and the current Social Media Coordinator Evan McAlice. Evan and I met our other roommates Jackie and Glynnis through Theresa. We live right down the road from our friends Andy Main and Kayla Michaud, the former news editor and entertainment editor, respectively. Most of the visitors to our Narragansett house are friends who have been involved in the Cigar at one time or another, such as Erin Hassman and Nate Plusquellic.
Leaving the Cigar is easily the most painful aspect of graduating for me, but I won’t be leaving behind the incredible friends that I have made or forgetting the amazing experiences we had together. I look forward to building upon them. The only regret I have regarding the Cigar is that I didn’t join it in the first semester of freshman year, to have been able to add a year-and-a-half of memories to those I have now.