83 issues later…it’s time to say goodbye.
Photo credit: James Singer
At the first Good Five Cent Cigar meeting I ever went to in the fall of 2018, I took (at least) three stories. Which, for those of you who don’t know, is insane; and every year there’s at least one freshman who does it.
I crashed and burned within two months of that meeting and wound up crying on the phone with then-Editor-in-Chief Lianna Blakeman about how overwhelmed and lonely I was as a first-semester freshman. I suppose it’s only fitting that, for my last issue, I also took three stories, but I know how to manage myself better now. The only crying I’m doing because of these stories is because I know they’re most likely the last ones I’ll write.
This last issue marks the end of six years of being a student journalist, starting at age 15 for the Lion’s Roar at Lincoln High School. Thank you to my first journalism teachers, Lisa Cardarelli and Doreen Picozzi, for believing in me and setting me on this path. And thank you to John Pantalone, my first journalism professor here at the University of Rhode Island, for always believing in me and encouraging me to do what’s best for myself, even if it meant stepping back from doing so much at the Cigar. I don’t see myself having a career in journalism, but it was journalism that helped me find myself, my strengths and my love for the news and political science (which I do plan on having a career in).
While every story I’ve written since I first stepped into this office has a special place in my heart, there are a few that stick out more than others. As a freshman, working on investigative stories about mold in dorms, a campus laptop thief and the removal of the University’s Catholic chaplain gave me a crash course in how to conduct high-stakes interviews and opened my eyes to how much the work we were doing mattered. As a sophomore, when COVID-19 first broke out, I covered URI’s response for months from my bedroom in Lincoln, Rhode Island. That’s probably the coverage I’m most proud of, and it was an honor to be trusted by my fellow staffers to do that important work. Profiles, columns and album reviews I’ve written as a junior and now as a senior have been so much fun and have allowed me to pour my personality out on paper. I’ve gotten to interview students, professors, senators (both for the U.S. and Student Senate), musicians and so much more, and I have met some incredible people that opened my eyes to things I never would have seen otherwise.
The last few years with the Cigar have been some of the best of my life, and I can honestly say that joining was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Without the Cigar, I wouldn’t have met my best friends/roommates/support system, Emily Drell (contributing reporter emerita) and Nicole Wagner (our excellent managing editor). Nor would I have met the majority of my other friends here at URI, who come from Cigar staff and contributors both past and present.
I’ve been on the editorial board the longest of any of our current members and have been through six different staffs since the spring of 2019. Having gone from the baby of the staff to one of the seniors feels unreal––it’s like I blinked and now it’s over. There’s nothing I could ever write that could truly capture my love for the Cigar and everything it’s done for me, but I suppose this will have to suffice.
This is not to say that it hasn’t been insanely difficult at times. It’s like a full-time job, on top of being a full-time student and working part-time, and all I really have to do is lay out the paper on Wednesday nights. But that process takes at least seven or eight hours (often more). Pitch meetings are Monday nights, doing interviews and writing stories takes a few hours each week and catching up on sleep from those long Wednesdays is nearly impossible. The amount of times I’ve cried in that office from stress or a lack of sleep or anything else happening in my life is too high to count, but every time, I knew I would be okay, because I had everyone here to keep me going. The Cigar and everyone in it helped me at my absolute lowest point, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
To the first editorial board I was on––Ian Weiner, Theresa Brown, Julia Moro, Andy Main, Kayla Michaud, Nick Cardi, Kate Rogerson, Laura Weick and Anna Meassick––thank you for taking me under your wing and trusting me enough to leave the layout in my hands. I was over the moon when I got elected for the first time and was thrilled and relieved to have found a group of friends after a lonely first semester. And to Lianna Blakeman and Tọ̀nà Campbell, thank you for trusting me enough to take over.
To the others who I’ve worked with along the way––including Leah Crowley, Evan McAlice, Will Pipicelli, Nolan Reilly, Nate Sandoval, James McIntosh, Siobhan Richards, Grace DeSanti and all of the staff reporters, photographers and contributors––thank you for all of your hard work and for doing this crazy thing with me.
And to the current editorial staff––Kate LeBlanc, Nicole Wagner, Jason Phillips, Adam Zangari, Kayla Laguerre-Lewis, Aniekan Okon, Imani Fleming, James Singer, Leah Popovic and Morgan Maleonskie––thank you for the best semester I’ve had yet. You have made Wednesday nights something I always look forward to no matter how much I’m dreading being up so late, because you are some of the kindest, dedicated, funniest and overall most wonderful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and being friends with.
Nicole, Kate and Kayla, it’s been wonderful “growing up” with you on the Cigar. I couldn’t have done this without you, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else. You all mean the world to me, and I cannot wait to see what bright things the future holds for you.
Finally, to everyone who’s read the Cigar and seen the layout over the last few years, thank you. The print edition of the Cigar is my baby, and I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into making it look the best it can. It has truly been an honor to lay out your paper every week and to tell the stories of URI.
Will I write for the Cigar again? Who knows, but I doubt I’ll be able to stay away for too long, so don’t be surprised if you see a column from me every now and then. For now, this is the end of the road. It’s been a hell of a ride, and I’m going to miss it so much, but I’m looking forward to what’s yet to come.