Dear Plymouth State

Dear Plymouth State,

So I just want to start off by saying that I never thought I would be in the spot that I am right now. Cliche, I know. I’m sure every college student in their 20’s has had that realization before. In high school I was not an outgoing student by any means, I’m still not. I played football for 3 years and that is the extent of my extracurriculars. That is the mentality I kept going to college. I planned on just going to my classes and hanging out with my small group of friends.  But then during my sophomore year, I took a journalism class and met Justin Siewierski. He told the class that he was the Editor in Chief of the school newspaper and that he was looking for more writers. Okay whatever, I thought, but then he said he was looking for sports writers. I was sold and asked where I could sign up. Long story short I wrote sports articles for the rest of that year and was offered the position of Sports Editor at the beginning of my Junior year. Of course, I said yes and bang, I was in charge of the sports section. That is where I thought I would peak. Then Justin told me that he liked the hard work I was putting in and started to mentor me into taking over his position. That was daunting and I didn’t really take it seriously, mostly because it did not feel real at the time. There are elections that are held for the spot once it is going to be open for the upcoming semester. I was the only one who ran. Hopefully I wasn’t chosen because I was literally the only option. But sitting here now, a year later, and I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I love this job and wish I had more time to continue running this publication I hold near and dear to my heart. Sadly, this is not a reality. The true reality of the situation, I have accepted. I am stepping down at the end of this semester. Not because I want to, but because I will be able to give my successor the support and guidance that they will need in this important position. Sam Latos, the current News Editor, will be taking over as Editor in Chief effective at the start of the Spring 2019 semester. She will hold this position for the foreseeable future and I have all the confidence in the world that she will do a fantastic job. She is intelligent, outgoing, articulate, and has a lot of new ideas that she brings to the table that I think will improve The Clock for the better.

I would like to thank everyone who I have encountered during my time here. Jordan, Sam, Nick, Brianna, Mason, Grace, Scott, Bri, Shayne, Madison, are as best a staff as any Editor in Chief could have. They were dedicated and did their jobs with integrity. They showed me that they cared and took what they did seriously, which was what I will be forever thankful for. It made my job less stressful. Not to forget about my past staff members who have since graduated. Jack Roberts, Erica Morrissette, and Lindsey DeRoche. They brought an energy to this place that made every editing night more enjoyable than the last. I will never forget the times that I spent in this office and the friendships I have made. The skills I have learned here  have been valuable to what I would like to pursue once I graduate. I have learned how to lead, which has been major to a kid like me, a kid who barely talked to anyone in high school and at the start of college.

I just realized that I sound like I am dying. Don’t worry, I’m not disappearing forever. I will be taking over the role of Managing Editor next semester. But for now, I would like to thank my staff and the Plymouth community for being patient with me while I was running this paper. This truly has been an experience that I will never forget.

Thank You,

Nick