CU later, Spartan
Every other Sunday, my alarm would go off at 6:59 a.m. waking me up to my pounding headache. My breath usually still had a stale hint of Smirnoff vodka or Bud Light Platinum from the previous night. By 7:15 a.m. I was convinced I wasn’t going to make it to Leavenworth. By 7:55 a.m. I was there, every time.
I didn’t go to edit The Spartan newspaper reluctantly with a massive hangover for the fear that the paper wouldn’t get finished in time, which probably should have been my number one reason.
It also wasn’t because I was scared my super-human, overachieving co-editor Catherine was going to have all the fun and take the spotlight, which she usually did anyways. I convinced myself to go every time for two reasons: I knew in the long run it would only benefit me and make me a stronger reporter, and Dave.
I knew showing up and doing my best was a bigger “thank you” to Dave than a “thank you” itself, because those two words don’t sum up enough appreciation and gratitude I have for him.
I’ve written for The Spartan throughout my four years at college. I went from a newbie, to reporter, to web-designer, to co-editor, to bigger and better things. So when I reflect on my four years at Castleton, The Spartan isn’t something I can just brush by. As cliché as it sounds, and even that sounds cliché, it did mold me into the journalist I am today. And it wasn’t just the newspaper that molded me, but the people who make up the newspaper. And when I think of the staff, its almost impossible not to find the humor.
Catherine, my ex co-editor and friend, is Super Woman. How she manages to keep her sanity while pumping out story after story and keeping a smile on her face is beyond me. Jadie, Catherine’s current co-editor, is ruthless, and is just what The Spartan needs. Her sarcasm honestly scares me a bit, as well as her resting bitch face. And I love it. Jordan: Ha. I’m surprised he can find his way to the Spartan room for every meeting. Sara is our photographer and my best friend. The Spartan is going to miss her too, and I cannot wait to see where her photos take her. The rest of the staff is a bunch of goons too and I truly do love them. Lucky Dave, the newspaper is only going up from here.
And speaking of Dave, I honestly do not know where to begin. Do I start with how annoyed I got at his passive-aggressive text messages, or how much I admired him for constantly bragging about his daughters? I feel like I practically know his daughter Kirsti and I’ve never met her. Watching Dave get “fired up” and firing others up is something that cannot be taught, but learned. He’s the kind of professor you don’t want to let down, because he believes in you before you believe in yourself.
So as I sit here in the Spartan Office on a sunny, 74-degree day, itching for a tan and a tallboy, I’ll leave my readers with this. Go the extra mile on something you really don’t want to do, but know you should. There are many more pros to waking up with that crippling hangover and doing the work, then sleeping in. Graduating college with a reporting job lined up is still unfathomable to me; I feel like I’ll be waking up on Mechanic Street forever. But forever is almost over, and it’s bittersweet.
Cheers to The Spartan.
– Callie Ginter