The time has come for me to write one final time for the Index. As surreal as it seems, I am like my fellow May graduates who are anxiously waiting for their calendars to read, “Saturday, May 7.” The experience, skills and friends I’ve gained from the Index have made all the time in the office well spent.
Who would’ve thought this would all stem from doing well in Index adviser Don Krause’s spring 2014 “Media Writing” class? After acing a few writing assignments, Krause suggested I consider writing for the school paper.
I was skeptical at first, but former Index Editor-in-Chief Bethany Boyle, who was then the news editor, came to speak to the class about the organization, and I decided to try it out.
I accepted the sports editor job just a semester after I joined as a staff writer, and it was certainly a position I was not expecting to take so early. As if being a student athlete wasn’t time consuming enough, I decided to take over while in preparation for my senior football season. Not every week was easy, but seeing the finished product every Thursday made it all worthwhile.
Although the Truman State University Index was not the first campus organization that I have been a part of, it gave me a chance to step out of my comfort zone and try something different. I typically wondered why more student athletes weren’t involved with student media, which I found a great advantage in the area of sports journalism.
A sports background allowed me to ask better questions and ultimately tell better stories, simply because I often could relate to the challenges my fellow student athletes faced. I urge more student athletes to consider sharing their perspective with the rest of the community and University. It’s a good way to get involved, gain skills and be around what all athletes enjoy — sports.
I want to personally thank all the coaches, administrators and student athletes I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and building rapport with in the past year and a half. Thank you to the media managers and everyone at copy desk who stuck with us during those late Tuesday nights as we finished the section.
A special thank you to seniors Emily Wichmer and Courtney Strait, both former assistant sports editors, for making each and every publication possible. Thank you to the sports writers for their hard work and diligence week in and week out.
Rachel Steinhoff, former 2015-2016 staff writer, now will take the reins and juggle the responsibilities of being a student athlete and sports editor. She is more than equipped to take the sports section to new heights, and I wish nothing but the best for her section, the Index and Truman State Athletics. Thank you for the memories.
Go ‘Dogs!