Farewell, The Miami Student

Three months ago, I sat in the press box at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, feeling slightly out of place. I had been asked to attend and report on the game because our Sports Editor Kethan Babu, and his second-hand-woman, Photo Editor Elisa Rosenthal, were both unable to attend.

So, I packed my bags and headed to Tucson, Arizona, the day after Christmas.

As I sat in the box, reporters around me conferred with one another about the score, Miami University’s offensive strategies and, eventually, Fresno State University’s 18-3 win over the RedHawks. At one point, a reporter from a local TV station leaned over and asked me if I had seen these defensive strategies by Miami this season so far.

I turned around and said, “I have no idea, this is my first Miami football game.”

Shocked, he asked me what I was doing in the press box at one of the biggest games of the RedHawk season. I explained that as editor-in-chief, my role allowed me to travel and cover a multitude of Miami events, including the bowl game.

He smiled and replied, “Wow, that’s one hell of an opportunity.”

He didn’t know the half of it.

Over the course of my four years working at The Miami Student — two and a half of which have been in editorial roles — I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Louisiana and all around the state for awards ceremonies and conferences.

While The Student has been a multitude of different things for me — professional development, a place where I could build my portfolio and a space to meet like-minded people — it has mainly been a place for me to test my boundaries and dip my toe in different pools, including sports.

While I typically focus my reporting on campus and community issues, I am so thankful to The Student for allowing me to collect bylines in five of its six sections (Humor, you’re next) and push my multimedia skills in an environment where it's OK to fail.

During my time as editor-in-chief, one of the greatest opportunities — and biggest challenges — was planning a weekend-long extravaganza for The Miami Student’s 200th Anniversary, as well as a print edition that shows off two centuries' worth of experience. That opportunity showed me the staff always has my back, and proved the people are what make such a great newspaper (best in four states, actually) what it is.

Thank you to Editor Taylor Powers for always pushing my “Letter from the Editor” ideas to the next level and expanding my understanding of opinion writing, which is something completely new to me in the last year. Thank you to Editor Sarah Kennel for leading the GreenHawks section with incredible grace and determination, and shining a light on an often overlooked subject.

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Thank you to Kethan and Assistant Editor Jeffrey Middleton — my Sports section heroes — for enduring my relentless nagging during production to turn in last-minute game coverage. I have never seen a duo more committed to covering Miami athletics the way you two have. To Editor Stella Powers and Assistant Editor Ayla Peden, for maintaining an awesome Culture section and promoting fashion and food, along with all of your other great coverage. There is no greater duo I’d want to have sat next to this last year (even with how much you make fun of me…).

To Editor Taylor Stumbaugh, Assistant Editor Parker Green and the entire Campus and Community team — thank you for working extremely hard to keep our students informed. You all never back down from a difficult story, and I can’t wait to see where your investigative skills take you.

To Digital Media Editor Sarah Frosch, Design Editor Olivia Michelsen, Assistant Design Editor Madeline Buecker, Social Media Editor Kiser Young and all the other creative thinkers on our staff — thank you for bringing our content to life, and for making The Student stand out on our newsstands around campus.

And finally, to my amazing Managing Editor Anna Reier — boy am I glad I sat next to you during that Campus and Community meeting our first year at Miami, when a few short weeks later we walked out of there agreeing to run as editor-in-chief and managing editor our junior year. While we may only have been first-year students, our dedication to this newspaper only grew, and there is no one else I would have rather served alongside than you.

While it is extremely bittersweet to see my time at the newspaper — an organization I poured my heart and soul into for the last four years — come to an end, I have no doubt that it is in great hands. Incoming Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mahoney and Managing Editor Elisa, take care of it for us, and welcome to the greatest chapter of your life.

patelou@miamioh.edu

Olivia Patel is the editor-in-chief of The Miami Student. She is a member of the Delta Lambda chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a model for Miami University Fashion and Design and a soon-to-be graduating senior with majors in journalism and political science, and a minor in classical studies. Patel has interned with The News Graphic in Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Milwaukee Magazine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and FOX News in Washington, D.C.