The moment that stood out to me the most this semester occurred Jan. 19, the day of NEIU’s Student Involvement Fair. The semester was only just beginning and our Tuesday open meeting also took place that day, which means we were all working together for the common cause of announcing story pitches. Our office was full with editors, writers and talented individuals wanting to get involved. Not one seat was unoccupied. What happened next was a thing of collaborative beauty. It was the perfect combination of brainstorming and sidesplitting laughter. I’ll never forget it.

I think the moment that stood out for me this semester working for The Independent was going to the Associated College Press conference in California. It taught me so much and I believe I gained the trust of some of my fellow editors through that bonding moment. Side note: Pablo + a mechanical bull = must see TV!

The highlight of my time at the Independent this year was winning first place at the Illinois College Press Association for critical review. I didn’t even know my work had been submitted for anything so winning was a shock. Being acknowledged by professionals in the field for work that I did for fun with super cool people was definitely the cherry on top of a very sweet time at NEIU.

Our 54th birthday party! This year the Independent turned 54 and I got to walk around with Goldie and show off our work. I love showing the paper to people, especially if they haven’t seen the paper before. I’m proud of everyone who takes part in it.