December 2023

Three weeks into my first year, I grew the courage to join my first Good Five Cent Cigar meeting. I had no idea how much the organization would mean to me four years later. I knew nothing about writing articles. Admittedly, I only joined the Cigar to do the newscast, but my insecurities called me…

There aren’t many things that stick with me quite like my time with the Cigar. I remember my first meeting. I joined a Zoom meeting with great anticipation, however, I was reluctant to take a story. I sat behind a computer screen in a meeting filled with strangers, strangers that would soon become friends. By…

I am a firm believer that every experience you have is defined by the people going through it with you. This has been true throughout my past four years at URI, and the Cigar is certainly no exception. I first joined the second semester my second year. As a film major, I wanted to gain…

This time last year, I ran for Business Manager only knowing about the Good Five Cent Cigar from what Juliana Lepore had told me. She spoke of wonderful people and great opportunities, but most of all, of a community within the University that was unlike any other. I was hesitant to join the group after…

It is crazy to think that the last three and a half years are almost up. Joining the Cigar as a first-year student in September 2020 simultaneously feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago. Little did my 18-year-old self know how important of a decision that was. Although my byline has been absent from this…

I still have the text that former editor-in-chief, Kate LeBlanc, sent to me after the first story that I wrote for the Good Five Cent Cigar my freshman year. If it weren’t for her kindness and care, I can’t imagine where I would be today. The Good Five Cent Cigar changed my life. This paper…

There was no “me” before I met the Cigar. I know how silly that sounds – a college newspaper having such a profound impact on my very sense of being. But really, it’s an understatement. My first visit to the office was through a computer screen in my parents’ basement. I sat wide eyed, watching…

While being involved in the Cigar, I’ve developed skills that I’ll use for the entirety of my writing career. Switching my major to journalism was a transformative decision, but being a part of the Cigar solidified my love for the career. I’ve enjoyed meeting sources through interviews and hearing unique perspectives and stories. I’ve developed…