By Foster Nicholas | Editor-in-Chief
It’s funny how the smallest things can make an impression on us. And across nine semesters at The Lariat, there have been plenty. But sometimes the spark for reminiscing comes out of nowhere.
A few weeks ago, an AI-voiced ad popped up in the middle of a YouTube video showing off a new mobile game. The first line, “Every good adventure starts alone,” stuck with me.
It wasn’t too far from reality for me. From waitlist to late-May admission, the first semester of freshman year was a blur. Coming on the heels of COVID-19 and an overadmitted class, hotels were packed with students and dorms were booked, so I stayed off campus with my wonderful cousins — but that, along with a persistent barrier of social anxiety, left me without a Baylor community.
Then I found The Lariat.
I knew this was where I would fit in before I came, as I aspired to be a play-by-play broadcaster. In fact, I would stop by my old adviser, Mr. Gietzen’s, office weekly and ask if he was ready for someone to restart Baylor Lariat Radio. After a year of waiting for a chance and a semester reporting on Arts & Life, I was given the shot to do solo football broadcasts my sophomore year.
That one opportunity paved the path to dozens of friendships, broadcasts on ESPN+, a writing role with 247Sports and a dream internship with the Denver Nuggets. But still, looking back, my time working with passionate student journalists at The Lariat will be the best. Mostly because of the friends I picked up during this “adventure.”
When I decided to come back for one more year as a master’s student, it wasn’t because I was in love with the idea of working in journalism or covering news. In fact, I had already made up my mind that a career in the media wasn’t for me. I stepped into the role of editor-in-chief because it offered an opportunity to give back to the place and people who made my experience worthwhile.
I couldn’t be more grateful that I did.
So yes, in my year at the helm, we took a lot of big swings. We pushed the boundaries of what it means to be student journalists because there are too many important stories to be told. From being told there would be consequences if we covered events to defending the role of journalism, we did exactly what I set out for us to do — produce professional content that you, our readers, care about.
I spent countless hours working with this staff to produce high-quality content and made sure every swing we took was well produced and worth it. Without the talent and dedication of each person who called themselves a Lariateer this year, we wouldn’t have been named the best student newspaper in Texas/Oklahoma.
To my staff, advisers, our readers and everyone who supports The Lariat every day, thank you for trusting me and continuing to support student journalism.
I’ll miss late-night Andy’s runs, traveling to cover the biggest Baylor sporting events, shooting hoops in the newsroom and even waking up before 6 a.m. to rush over to campus to deliver papers. Above all else, I’ll miss the people in the newsroom whose voices constantly make me smile. And while I’m still searching for what comes next, I’m excited for the chance to start another adventure.
So, although “every good adventure starts alone,” I’m glad I’ve picked up the friends and self-confidence at The Lariat to make the next one even better than the first.
Signing off,
Foster Nicholas | Editor-in-Chief
