When I was in 8th grade, my English teacher asked us to write about where we see ourselves in 10 years. Not just where we see ourselves but what we want for ourselves. I wrote I wanted to be living in a cottage with a beautiful meadow, which unfortunately for me doesn’t seem to be …
When I was in 8th grade, my English teacher asked us to write about where we see ourselves in 10 years. Not just where we see ourselves but what we want for ourselves. I wrote I wanted to be living in a cottage with a beautiful meadow, which unfortunately for me doesn’t seem to be a realistic achievement in the next two years. However, I also wrote that I wanted to be working in the news.
At the time I didn’t know anything about journalism. To be honest, I knew very little about it until I started at Loyola and began taking classes — which led me to The Phoenix. Looking back at my 14-year-old self, I realize how proud she would be of me today.
I could tell her that in the past two and a half years, I’ve accelerated from a writer to the editor-in-chief of an award-winning newspaper, completed internships and gotten jobs in journalism. But I think the part of my college experience I would be most proud to tell her about would be the people I’ve got the pleasure of meeting and calling my closest friends.
The Phoenix has given me a massive sense of belonging during my college years. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Phoenix was the reason I decided to remain at Loyola. The Phoenix pushed me to become more resilient, confident and determined. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a collaborative team with the most talented people I know and been honored to lead The Phoenix over the past year.
Thank you to Katie Drews, Katie Anthony, Kayleigh, Violet and Rylee for introducing me to The Phoenix and helping me shape my skills to become the writer, photographer and editor I am today. To my current staff, thank you for trusting me. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You’ve all worked so hard and I’m so excited to see what you accomplish next year.
To Austin, as you take on the editor-in-chief position, remember to not overwork yourself. You will be perfect in this position and couldn’t be more qualified. Make the most of this coming year — it will be over before you know it.
Lastly to our readers, thank you for your support over the years. It’s been a pleasure reporting on Loyola and Rogers Park and I’m honored to have been a small part of The Phoenix’s 54 year history. Here’s to being a forever Phoen.
Signing off once and for all,
Nicky Andrews
Featured image by Holden Green | The Phoenix
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