One of the most common questions asked of graduating seniors, retiring workers or generally people that their peers deem as old is always, “What advice do you have for those younger than you?”
The best advice I can give to any nervous freshman looking to get involved in that club or team is to wait till the absolute last minute to join so that your time is a complete blur. Everything will happen so fast around you that you won’t even have a chance to be sad about the fact that it’s ending. Perfect.
This is exactly what I did with The Good Five Cent Cigar until the second semester of my junior year. As a transfer student, starting in January 2023, I didn’t even know the Cigar existed until the following semester. By then it was too late; I had already come up with the excuses for why Monday night meetings were too inconvenient for my busy schedule.
As a student-athlete who spends over 20 hours a week at practice, it would have been very easy for me to graduate from the University of Rhode Island without ever stepping into Room 125 of the Memorial Union. Unfortunately for my Google Calendar and free time, that isn’t what happened.
I like to tell people that I got tricked into coming to executive board elections in the spring of 2023, but that would be another lie. Sully Cummins, our valiant production manager, happened to wind up in the same capstone group as me that semester, lucky him. As a news editor at the time, Sully offhandedly mentioned that elections were happening that week, and that I should throw my hat in the ring for staff reporter.
“It’ll be 15 minutes; you just have to say a few words, very chill,” Sully said.
One two-and-a-half hour meeting, a speech and a series of interrogation questions later, I walked out of the Cigar office thoroughly annoyed at my classmate, but one writing position richer.
Being a fourth-year and staff reporter definitely made me feel old next to my news editor and second-year Maia Hembruff, but when you are working with smart, driven people, age and class year go straight out the window.
I was lucky enough to have Maia both as my news editor this past fall, but also work with her in one of the wackiest journalism classes I have taken, taught by Jason Jaacks, of course. Any time an environmental pitch was whispered, Maia and I would lock eyes, like a dog whistle only her and I can hear.
I am not embarrassed to tell people I hate team sports, even my college coach, which admittedly was a bad idea. I am the girl that groans in class when teachers announce group projects, and I have always thought my independence and competitiveness are two of my greatest strengths.
I would be the last person to willingly write an article with another person, but after working with Maia both in class and at The Cigar, I can’t imagine not running a pitch idea or a draft by her.
While Sully might have been the reason I showed up for my first Cigar meeting, Maia is the reason I stayed. And thank god I did, because what would you guys do without me, right?
Standing in the hall this past December, waiting for votes for news editor to pour in, I was cursing Maia for convincing me to run for a role that I never saw myself in. The second the door opened and I heard my name called after Sadie Brandt’s, I realized I might actually care more about this paper than I realized.
Serving as a news editor for my last semester of college may have been the worst idea I’ve ever had if I cared about my free time. Luckily I thoroughly enjoy being crazy busy, never making Wednesday night plans and listening to Ryan Pelillo’s constant monologuing.
It has been a privilege to wake up exhausted every Thursday morning, come to campus and pick up a copy of the paper that I helped create. Independence and competition certainly didn’t get me there. Maybe it was teamwork? Who’s to say.
So, if you enjoy cramming three years of experiences and memories into two measly semesters, then I definitely recommend joining your favorite organization your senior year. Or you can just be smart and join tomorrow.
