I never thought that my second year at Monroe County Community College would be so different from the first.
Last year was my first at MCCC, and when I started school in the fall I had no clue what to expect or what I wanted to do with my time here.
As a senior in high school, I decided to apply for the journalism scholarship at MCCC that could make me the assistant editor for The Agora, MCCC’s student newspaper, my first year, and the editor-in-chief my second.
I figured I would give it shot. I didn’t get the scholarship, but was told there was a possibility I could become editor my second year if the assistant editor decided to go to college elsewhere.
I wasn’t getting my hopes up for that, so my first semester at MCCC I decided not to join the newspaper, but instead just take one journalism class and get some basic classes out of the way.
I was searching for a subject that I might like enough to make it my future career.
Well, here I am about to enter my second year and I am the editor of The Agora.
So much has changed for me in about half a year. I joined The Agora staff my second semester, and from then on everything has been different.
I found a place that I enjoyed coming to and being a part of, and met a lot of smart people and talented writers who became my good friends.
I even got to spend a week in New York City with them for a journalism conference. Who would’ve thought!
So now I am the leader of The Agora, and have had only a few months to prepare. Scary.
I am excited for this year, though, and my adviser, Dan Shaw, and I have been preparing for a new year with new writers and a new Agora design, plus some other changes.
This year, we want lots of student (and faculty!) involvement. We want you to send us your photography, poems, stories, cartoons, etc.
We want to hear from you and we want to know your thoughts and opinions. This issue has the new Agora masthead, so check it out and tell us what you think.
I encourage everyone to check out The Agora’s Web site at www.mcccagora.com. It is a place for you, a place to read campus news, entertainment and sports and comment on stories.
Check out our Facebook page, where we post news and you can post your story ideas and other thoughts too.
Then go to Twitter and follow us!
This is your newspaper, so let us know what you think! In the near future, we hope to open up blogging on our Web site to anyone. I’ll post updates as soon as there are developments.
The point of this column is to introduce myself and get students to become involved with their student newspaper, but it is also to encourage you to put aside any of your own self doubts and join a club or organization on campus, or take a class that you wouldn’t normally take.
This summer I spent time putting together a list of information on each club at MCCC, so take a look and see what you might be interested in.
