My college experience was defined by many moments. It was a big move from home for me; every second spent in Milwaukee has been one that has felt almost integral to my becoming. Whether it was the first time I went to the Public Market or attending my first Marquette basketball game, the experiences that I have accumulated throughout the last four years have been unforgettable fragments that constitute the person I am now. 

However, I truly believe there is no moment that I have considered more pivotal to my development than the one where I knocked on the glass doors encasing the Marquette Wire newsroom in 2021.

As a very awkward yet eager teenager, I felt as if the present was my opportunity to overachieve, a verb I had attached myself to through my previous academic endeavors. I began my time as a news reporter, slowly learning the basics of reporting while applying the principles I would learn in my journalism courses. However, this discipline is not just a subject you can learn. Good journalism is more akin to a craft, a fact that made 18-year-old me very impatient.

I wanted to be outstanding immediately, to tell stories that matter, but that is admittedly very difficult to do with minimal experience and a lack of nuance. Over time, the Wire became not just a place where I learned how to be a writer, but where I learned how to be a person. My work has taught me how to write stories. However, it has also taught me to assert my beliefs and dignity, verify personal biases and overall become a person that younger me would be proud of. 

Whether through my previous positions as News Reporter and Assistant Opinions Editor or in my current role as Print Production Manager, some of my most important growth has occurred in the past four years. Although I am admittedly not the best at being vulnerable in my writing, I hope my sincere appreciation for this organization and its members is palpable on this page.

To all the underclassmen that will be staying in the organization: I hope to check in and see your work as time goes on! You are all such inspirations, working in an underappreciated field in a critical time in its development. Be confident and seize every opportunity; your time here is what you make it!

To Juan Carlos: Thank you so much for putting your trust in me this year, especially as it’s your first with us. I genuinely thank you for your mentorship and patience throughout this year, and I know your leadership will continue to inspire great journalism at Marquette. 

To Izzy: As the only member of the management team to also have been on the Wire all four years, I just wanted to say thank you for getting it and for being the kind of person who made it all a little easier.

To Jack: Thank you for letting me bother you enough to come work with us! You have always been a friendly face I look toward both in class and outside of it, and that disposition I know will take you far in life.

To Shannyn: I am so excited to see what you do in the world. Your drive and passion are unmatched, and I am often thankful that we sat next to each other that first day of class. Thank you for being my first friend when we were both so far from home. 

To Sofía: Your friendship has been one of the greatest things I’ve gained from the Wire. Being able to work with you is a blessing that I will most definitely miss as graduation comes upon us and forces our moves, but know you’ll be able to count on me at any point. Conocerte ha sido una de las sorpresas más lindas que me ha dado Marquette, y verte crecer dentro y fuera de casa me inspira un orgullo inexplicable.

To the Wire: thank you for giving me a space to grow, stumble and find my voice. Thank you for every lesson, every memory and every word we put into the world. 

And to every student dreaming of finding their place here: I hope you knock on the door too; you never know what it might open for you.

This article was written by Clara Lebrón. She can be reached at [email protected].