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Final Report, June 2010
On being a Daily Tar Heel editor
While the experience was difficult and exhausting, I never would have done it if I hadn’t loved the job with every fiber of my being.
It made me happier than anything else I have ever done and gave me a sense of purpose in my everyday life that I believe is unusual for a college student.
First issue, fall 2010 Photo by Eliza Kern '12
For every five angry e-mails I received, I spoke with someone who complimented me on the truly professional product the DTH produces.
I learned that I believe passionately in the power of the press to create and effect change. I discovered a love of higher education policy and politics I never knew I had.
I worked with what I believe is the smartest, most passionate and interesting group of people on campus. I made the closest friends I have ever had (aside from my roommate, Lily).
I improved my writing, my time management skills, and the strength of my caffeine addiction.
So in April, when it came to reapply for positions on the paper next year, I struggled deeply with what to do.
On the one hand, I loved the University desk and was eager to truly make it my own.
I care passionately about the DTH and could hardly imagine life without it. But I had begun to feel as though I was missing out on a considerable experience as a college student.
Eventually, I realized I could still do the things that I love—writing interesting stories, talking to administrators, and providing guidance and leadership to younger writers—as a senior writer, relieving some of the daily stress of being an editor and allowing me to become re-engaged in academic life at the University.
The decision was far from easy. But I’ll be diving back into school and the DTH this fall with all the drive and determination I applied to the job last year, crossing my fingers that it will all work out.
