Editor’s Desk: Beginnings

The first article I wrote for The Loyola Phoenix was a review of the 2021 Clint Eastwood film “Cry Macho.” While the 91-year-old’s movie was a jumbled mess, the article was a huge source of pride for little Austin Hojdar during his second year at Loyola.

My first front-page story was a look at delays with Loyola’s safe-ride program 8-RIDE — aptly titled “L8-RIDE.”

But my favorite article from my first year on The Phoenix was a love letter to de Nobili Dining Hall’s cheese pizza. In it, I described the “spongy quality” of the dough and the “unmatched” cheese-to-sauce ratio and revealed a dining hall worker had been calling me “Pizza Boy” for the past few months.

Now living off-campus, the trek and cost of the dining hall is not as simple as it used to be. But last week, I had de Nobili pizza for the first time in a long time. 

I was worried it wouldn’t taste the same — that the ratio would be off, but it was perfect. I smiled as I finished my two slices surrounded by troves of first and second-years.

I’ve changed a lot over my past four years at Loyola. As a writer, friend, brother and son, I’ve changed. And a lot has changed around me.

I miss former Editor-in-Chief Nicky Andrews every day. And I know I’ll miss current Managing Editor Ella Govrik every day after we graduate. We picked up our cap and gown today. 

I don’t know what life will be like when my Tuesday nights aren’t consumed by making a newspaper. I guess I’ll just have more time.

I know a lot is going to change, but it’s nice to know de Nobili pizza hasn’t. To quote myself, “if you have spent your tenure at Loyola without having had a slice of de Nobili pizza, I implore you to rectify this as soon as possible.”

To everyone on staff — writers, editors, photographers, advisors, thank you. To my parents and friends, thank you. And thank you for reading.