A few weeks ago, I ran into an old classmate from high school.
"So, are you still doing the journalism thing?" he asked. Yes, yes I am.
Back then, I had been the editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper for two years. I was the last car in the parking lot every day. I was always talking about a story.
Ah, full circle.
When I was accepted to UF in 2012, I remember turning to my high school journalism adviser and saying, "I’m going to be the editor-in-chief of the Alligator." I remember posing in front of the vine-covered building that summer and asking my friend to take a picture. "I found @TheAlligator, my future home! A nerdy photo was mandatory."
I remember calling my parents after editing a story in Spring 2013 to tell them, "I found my people." Five semesters later, I still feel the same.
A lot of people know what I do before they learn who I am. That’s because I can’t stop talking about it. Working at the Alligator has been the highlight of my college experience. Leading it this semester as editor-in-chief has been, as I tend to put it, unreal.
I’m one of the lucky ones: I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do since I was 14. I wanted to talk to people, write their stories and learn something new every day. The Alligator gave me that outlet full-time in Fall 2014.
For the past two semesters, I’ve felt like the eyes and ears of campus. I never felt more like a Gator until I covered the UF presidential search and watched the football players rush by me on the sideline. I work every Sunday night through Thursday night, and I usually don’t leave until about 1 a.m. I’ve learned more in those hours, in this homey, decrepit office, than in any class or internship.
I’ve learned to read with the most critical eye, when to take risks and when to step back. I stopped letting anxiety get the best of me and started making decisions quickly. I grew more comfortable highlighting issues that could potentially (and sometimes did) stir up controversy. I started correcting people’s grammar in my head.
We became the voices of neglected buildings that had turned into health hazards. We reopened the discussion of cold cases in our city. We showed the power of motherhood through a woman who climbed Mount Everest for her terminally ill son. We followed upset graduate assistants seeking justice, and we learned about a program for domestic abuse victims about to lose its funding. We produce a paper to be proud of five days a week.
I do all of this with my friends, some of the greatest I’ll have in my lifetime. Throughout the night, we talk too much and make too many weird noises. We’ve taken too many field trips to Karma Cream and Leonardo’s Pizza By The Slice. Old jokes never stop being funny. There’s always someone to hug you when you’re down. No one knows what sleep is. And, usually there’s a white Maltipoo to play with.
I’m not sure what the future holds for me, and I’m not going to lie: It’s scary. But, I found a family of people who understand me, support me and want me to succeed. I hope they know I wish the best for them. After all of this, what I do know is: Yeah, I’m excited to continue doing this journalism thing.
Alyssa Fisher is a UF journalism senior. She is the editor-in-chief of the Alligator.
