By Rory Dulock | Copy Editor
I have worked at The Lariat since before my first classes at Baylor started.
After writing it down, I realize how wild that sounds. I remember my interview clearly with the then-editor-in-chief over Zoom as some nervous incoming freshman sitting in her hometown, not knowing what to expect or what she was getting herself into. Somehow, that editor-in-chief took a chance on me — someone who took no journalism classes in high school and only knew their passion for writing.
And so it began: my first position at The Lariat was as a staff writer on the news desk. Recently, I’ve been thinking about reading the first news article I ever wrote for The Lariat. What I would read would likely make me both laugh and cringe, knowing that at least half of it was reworked from the then-news editor at the time, who, unfortunately, had to teach me just about everything.
Was this first article good? Heck no. But it was my first one. And the excitement I felt seeing my first article published and in print is a memory I’ll hold on to.
Who would’ve known that just a few weeks later, I would already be interviewing a U.S. representative? I was so nervous about approaching the representative that I had to be pushed to talk to him. Shoutout to Baylor’s media and public relations team for that moment of encouragement.
My freshman year was filled with firsts, many of which came from working at student media. The cool events and people I got to interview were so exciting for me and made the job worth it. I even dabbled a little bit in sports writing and photography and wrote opinion columns. But there were definitely many moments when the job didn’t feel worth it.
I would have some rough weeks where getting even one source to agree to talk to me before a deadline was a struggle. If I remember correctly, at one point I went through a two-and-a-half-week stretch where I could only get one story out because everything kept falling through.
It was so infuriating, and it felt like I wasn’t doing my job well enough. Or there were the event coverages that ran late, and the time crunch felt like weights crushing down on top of me. Or there was The Lariat’s 2024 general election coverage, which felt like an eternity.
New and different struggles would occur after my shift to becoming the news editor.
I was so excited to put a pause on mainly writing after three semesters of it. Being in charge of an entire desk of writers was more challenging than I had initially realized, but it was also very rewarding. Getting to help them work on their writing, just as my first news editor did, felt like a full circle moment.
While all the meetings and stress of being news editor were draining, getting to build upon the relationships around me kept me going. All the writers that were on my desk at the time (save one who’s still here) have gone off to do great things, but I’m still in touch with them. It makes me smile when someone texts me to say they’ve read the latest thing I wrote or to update me about their life.
The dynamic of the news desk that semester was special.
My next and final role with student media has been copy editor. Again, a very different shift and change of pace to what I had been doing. It still allows me to expand upon my skillset beyond just writing, focusing mainly on editing, publishing and creating the morning newsletters.
I’ve enjoyed getting to read over and publish articles across all desks this past year, and it’s certainly kept me in the know. While there are many late nights and moments of miscommunication that I think will send my blood pressure high enough to cause an aneurysm, I know the role that my fellow copy editor and I play is invaluable to The Lariat crew.
It will feel weird to return to campus next year as a grad student and look at the Morning Buzz every day from the outside, but I also know I’m ready to move on and see what’s next in God’s plan for me.
To the student media advisers: thank you for helping me learn and grow not only as a journalist, but also for shaping me into who I am today. To the Lariateers graduating alongside me: I’ve enjoyed working and becoming friends with y’all these last few years, and I hope to stay in touch as we take the next step in our lives. To the returning Lariateers: I look forward to seeing the great work y’all will produce next year, and know there’s a Lariat alum somewhere on campus rooting for y’all.
After well over 100 articles with my byline written and hundreds more read and published after crossing my desk, my time with The Lariat has officially come to a close.
