College has not been easy for me. While I know college is not easy for anyone, I think you’d be surprised by some of the stories I have to tell. I transferred to Auburn in fall 2023 from a smaller school, the University of North Alabama.
UNA was a nightmare for me. From roommate drama to crazy professors to watching someone die on my study abroad trip — yeah, I told you I had some crazy stories — my time there was not ideal.
My older sister graduated from Auburn in 2017. Wanting to be just like her, and after hearing of such positive experiences at Auburn, I decided to transfer. When I got to Auburn, I felt like a wide-eyed freshman again. I wanted to join every club I could and meet new people, but I was nervous and shy. I was in a whole new world with no friends, and I felt very out of place. Making friends as a transfer student your junior year is hard, especially when you live off-campus.
I had been a part of student media while at UNA and I planned to minor in journalism at Auburn, so I decided to tour The Auburn Plainsman office when they hosted their open house. Walking into the office, I was nervous, but I knew why I was there. I strolled up to the person who looked the most in charge, and I told them I wanted to write for the paper.
I told them about my experience working in student media at UNA, and I told them that no one on campus wanted to join The Plainsman more than I did — and that’s true. I had had such a negative experience with student media at UNA, and I was determined to turn that around. I was determined to prove that I did belong in media. They wrote my information down and told me to come to the interest meeting the following week.
I joined The Plainsman as a culture writer. It was a volunteer position, so I was right back where I had started, but I was perfectly happy — I just wanted to write, to be a part of something. After about a month, the editor-in-chief pulled me aside and offered me a paid staff position as the community reporter. I would be covering city council, which I had never done before and seemed boring, but hey, it was paid and I would be moving up in ranks.
I took the position and started to get to know more people in the office. I started eating my lunch there and doing homework there, not just because I was required to do one office hour a week, but because I wanted people to know me. I wanted to make that office my safe space — and that’s exactly what it became.
Working for The Plainsman, I fell more in love with writing and journalism each day. At the same time, I was feeling uninspired in my apparel merchandising major, so I decided to change to journalism.
In the spring once editor applications went out, I applied immediately. Although I had been writing for the community section, my heart lied in culture. Nervous to take on a larger role, I applied for the assistant culture editor position.
On Easter Sunday, I received an email from the new editor-in-chief telling me I had gotten the position. I would be serving alongside a girl named Ella Walton who wrote for the culture section. I had seen her name on countless articles and I had seen her at our Budget meetings, but we’d never spoken.
Hmm, Ella. I wonder if we’ll get along.
I remember wondering what she’d be like and if she’d like me. Little did I know, I was about to meet my best friend.
Fall 2024 quickly approached, and I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was confident in my writing, but what if I was a bad editor? I had never led a team before, what was that going to be like? I was terrified, but luckily I had Piper, the managing editor, and Ella to hold my hand.
The fall was a series of ups and downs, but I had a lot of fun. I was starting to feel more connected to the other editors. I took every opportunity I could to involve myself more, whether that was editing for other sections or taking stories no one wanted or hauling a wagon full of magazines throughout campus.
The Plainsman office quickly became my home, and the staff became my family. I think my favorite memory is working on our first print edition of this spring semester, “Voices of the Loveliest Village.” This was the first print edition I felt truly connected to. All of us poured blood, sweat and tears into that magazine — literally. That office has seen me cry. Bonding with fellow editors over the pains of InDesign, cursing at our computers as the student center announced it was closing … that was my favorite part of the entire semester.
I hate that it’s coming to an end. Sorry to be abrupt and depressing, but it’s true. I don’t want college to last forever, but I wish I could freeze time for just a little bit. My time at The Plainsman is fleeting, and I'm finding myself chasing after it longingly. It’s slipping through my fingers.
Thank you to The Auburn Plainsman for showing me that I’m in the "write" field. I have grown out of my shell and truly established myself as a writer and a journalist. I also want to thank some of the excellent journalism professors I have had at Auburn: Justin Blankenship, Fawad Shah, Ric Smith and Jessica Sparks to name a few. You all have shown me so much compassion and encouraged me to pursue my love for writing and journalism.
Thank you to each of my writers for trusting my guidance and working with me throughout this year. I could not have done any of it without you and your stories. Keep writing, I can’t wait to see what you do next.
To each and every one of my fellow editors, thank you for always helping me out and working with me to make this organization the best it can be. I am so grateful to share this newspaper with all of you. My girls: Bry, Emily, Michaela, Piper and Sami Grace, I am so grateful for the bond we have formed through this organization and the friendships that I will carry with me.
And to Ella, my partner in crime, I don’t really know how to put into words the adoration I have for you. You are so dedicated to your craft, and watching you grow as an editor, writer and person has been so wonderful. I knew we’d get along, but I never could have imagined the friendship that would blossom from us being selected to "lede" the culture section. Thanks for putting up with me and all my frantic midnight texts and crazy questions. Culture cuties forever and War Damn Plainsman.
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Sam Vise, senior in journalism, is the Assistant Culture Editor for The Auburn Plainsman. She has previously served as a culture writer and community reporter.
