By Theodore Mattheiss
Opinion Editor
I’ve had an absolute blast being the Opinion Editor for The Elm this year.
When I first looked into the possibility of working for The Elm I was only a freshman. I was interested in the opinion section, even back then, but it was particularly full at the time. I was given a position as a sports writer instead. Anybody who knows me knows that’s probably the one spot where I’d be least effective though, and I would up not writing for the paper at all.
That is, until my second semester of junior year. I’d remained interested in writing and journalism, and there was a class I wanted to take that required me to write for the paper. So, I decided to give it another try, and I’m so glad I did. That time I wound up actually writing in the section I wanted, and I did well enough that after one semester I became the editor of that section.
Writing for the paper was fun, but the editing position is where it’s really at. It’s been a great experience to hear the different perspectives that Washington College students are looking at things from when they discuss the issues facing our nation and the world. I can’t thank this year’s opinion section writers enough for always putting their best foot forward in terms of thinking critically about the issues and forming those thoughts into strong arguments.
To know that these people are the future and that they’ll soon be following me into the “real world” gives me a lot of hope for what’s coming in the years ahead.
To everybody at the paper—the writers, the photographers, the other editors, our editor-in-chief Abby Wargo and our advisor Dan Divilio—I can’t thank you guys enough for supporting me, pushing me to do the best work I can, and just generally making this year of editing one that I won’t forget as I prepare to leave Washington College and start a career.
The news is important to me. The free exchange of information is necessary for a great society. The Elm is a part of that effort and I’m glad that I could be part of it too.