With just a few days left before finals, another semester is swiftly coming to a close. With the end of the term comes the end of me (Erika Lopez) and Caleb Metzler’s run as the Weather Vane’s Co-Editors-in-Chief.
This semester concludes my sixth term as a Weather Vane staff member and my second serving as a Co-Editor. Although I’ve enjoyed each of my semesters working for the Weather Vane, this semester has been more fulfilling than previous.
The Weather Vane’s commitment to uplifting voices and conducting thorough research, the personal stories shared on our opinion pages, and the dedication of each staff member to create our paper has continued to amaze me as the semester has progressed.
Even on the long production nights where all I could think about was how much I wanted to go home, I’d wake up the next morning (sleep-deprived, of course) still excited to see our final product on the racks. My excitement on distribution day never faltered because, as Co-Editor, I truly saw how much work went into creating each issue.
Despite the multiple occasions I regretted taking on an article during my busy life, this feeling always went away after reading and receiving feedback on the work I produced. I can confidently say I’m proud of each article I wrote this semester—something I haven’t always been able to say. I hope my fellow staff members feel proud of their work this semester, too. I’ve been impressed time after time by the work I’ve seen from everyone, and I’m pleased by the numerous ways I’ve watched each member grow as a journalist.
Not only will this semester be my last one as a Co-Editor, but it will also be my last fully-immersed in the Weather Vane world. I begin student teaching in the spring; the bulk of my free time will be spent planning and preparing lessons for my students. I won’t have nearly as much time to dedicate to our paper, and that hurts. I can wholeheartedly say I’ve found community through the Weather Vane, and the work I’ve gotten the privilege to be a part of creating has been incredibly rewarding and life-giving.
And so, although my time with the Weather Vane (hopefully) isn’t quite over yet, I still want to extend my thanks before my time as Co-Editor and dedicated member come to a close. Thank you to the Weather Vane for being a huge, wonderful part of my college experience. Thank you to my fellow staff members that have always found a way to make me smile. Thank you to our advisor, Kirsten Beachey, for your guidance and encouragement over the years. And thank you to you all, our lovely readers, for your support and dedication to our work.
For me (Caleb Metzler), this closes my third semester on the Weather Vane staff, and my first (hopefully not my last!) semester as Co-Editor-in-Chief. Holy smokes I have learned a lot throughout the past 4 or so months, but the culmination of all the things I have going on has definitely taken a toll on me. The good news is that I get a little reprieve from campus life during the spring semester as I will be going to Guatemala and Mexico for my first EMU intercultural experience! This upcoming semester definitely has its own stressors, don’t get me wrong, but I am looking forward to a much needed break from my responsibilities here. During my time in Latin America I really hope to learn more about myself, as cliché as that sounds, and figure out what involvements I can leave in this semester so as to not get burned out come the next academic year as well.
I am extremely thankful for those of you loyal readers who have been supporting us the whole way through the semester. We’ve had quite a time here at the office trying to make decisions regarding our obligations to this university as members of the free press, and I thank you for supporting us through that process. To the Weather Vane staff, you all are the backbone of this organization, thank you for doing the work you did this semester to help everything run so smoothly. Thanks to you, Erika and I only had to stay up until 5 in the morning once! Great success! While I’m gone, I will definitely miss all of the laughter and hooliganry that goes on during meetings and production night. To Lauryn and Zack, the Co-Editors-in-Chief for next semester, I know you are both going to be fantastic, don’t let the Weather Vane spirit dwindle in these next few cold and dreary months of daylight savings.
From both of us, thank you for following along on this journey, and we’ll catch you on the flip side!