When I first came to Northwestern I was hesitant about joining The Daily. I was terrified at the prospect of quickly turning around a story and reporting for real. Even though it seemed like “the thing to do” as a first-year, I avoided The Daily like the plague. And I was steadfast in my resistance for most of the year, as class assignments felt like plenty of reporting.

But in the spring of that year, I was feeling an incredible amount of homesickness and needed an outlet. I wanted to write something because I needed that cathartic relief. So, I said “You know what? Hell yeah,” and decided to write a column. And I fell in love almost immediately. 

My love for the opinion section knows no bounds. Sure, it can be trying, even frustrating at times, trying to corral submissions and going through edits with combative writers, but I think there’s real value in learning about what other people are thinking and feeling. Some people find that fulfillment through their reporting sources, but I always found it in Opinion. 

As a columnist I felt supported and my voice was never lost in the dozens of edits that would inevitably light up my Google Doc. And as an editor, I strove to make sure people felt that same support and got the opportunity to be heard by our community in their own words. 

Yes, The Daily can be a lot. And yes, you may spend a good chunk of time on the third floor of Norris. But, I never made The Daily my entire life. As important as it was to me to be part of student media on campus, it was equally important to actually have time to adjust to being a student far away from home in a new city. 

So, when your friends ask if you can join them on a trip into Chicago, you can and should say “You know what? Hell yeah.”  

My time in opinion was essentially borne from saying “You know what? Hell yeah.” Taking this path less traveled made my life at The Daily enjoyable and not the scary unknown it once was. To this day, I have never once reported on a story for The Daily Northwestern. All my bylines are columns or other forms of opinion pieces. 

I was able to carve out my own path in opinion by trying something new. That’s my biggest takeaway from my time at NU and The Daily —  you won’t know anything for sure until you try. Have the courage to say “You know what? Hell yeah.” 

Email: [email protected]