OPINION: CM Life senior staffers say goodbye

By Taylor DesOrmeau

Sports Editor

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Oftentimes, people ask me what my dream job is. And I’m left in a predicament.

Honestly, my somewhat depressing answer lately has been: “I can’t think of a job more fun than the one I have right now.”

Sounds hokey. And trust me, they’re not paying me to say this. But being a sports writer and editor for Central Michigan Life has been remarkable on many levels.

After the world persuaded me away from journalism at the start of my freshman year, I landed as an integrative public relations major — something I’ve enjoyed greatly and learned tons from.

I decided to still apply at CM Life, with the dream of someday sitting in the press box at Kelly/Shorts Stadium to cover a football game. I was initially rejected before eventually being hired the second semester of my freshman year.

After a year and a half covering a little bit of everything for CM Life, I was called up. Being pulled aside by the leader after a team meeting, I felt like the Triple-A baseball player — who wasn’t supposed to make it — heading to the majors.

As a junior, I would be the senior reporter on the sports desk and a beat writer for the football team.

As the editor? Everything is amplified.

Not only did I enjoy the rollercoaster of my own beat, but I learned and taught other journalists in our pursuit of production. Along with a dozen other writers, we covered every CMU varsity sport, and did it unlike anybody else.

Long hours were spent on the fourth floor of Moore Hall. For anyone who knows me, the number of meals I skipped or delayed for this job is indicative of my heart for it.

Along with my fellow editors, I sat in on editorial board meetings, worked on the craft of wordsmithing and developed a perhaps unhealthy love for peanut butter pretzels. I brainstormed terrible headlines like “Holy Bowly,” “Ball is Life,” “From the Window to the Walderzak” and “Chip, Chip, Hooray!” I spent most Tuesday and Saturday nights preparing to build the sports section the next day.

We skipped social gatherings to finish a story. Or to sit down with a reporter, in hopes they might take that next step.

It matters very little what you can do yourself once you’re gone.

There were late nights. A few early mornings. While in the past, journalists could pack up their bags at the end of the day and put work on the backburner, the 24/7 newsroom never stops and rarely lets up.

But it’s all about to stop for me. At least from the fourth floor of Moore Hall.

As I prepare to graduate and move on in the journalism world, I can’t help but tearfully smirk as I look back at the past four years. Every single reader, writer and editor has made this job about the journey, not the destination.

As I polish my final few works and finish off the final few peanut butter pretzels, one thought remains.

Peace Love and CMU

By Rachel Harrison

Multimedia Coordinator

As the semester winds down I am doing what I also do during the semester. I reflect. I am taking the time to figure out what my struggles were, and what I have achieved. From a video that reached more than 128,000 views, to telling a story about the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the impact through education, I achieved a lot.  

This year I was given an amazing opportunity to work alongside amazing people here at Central Michigan Life. 

I served as the Multimedia Coordinator and for that I am thankful. I hired and ran an amazing team that did everything from videos to podcasts and brought a creative energy that was needed to help Multimedia grow. 

Two years ago I was in a dark place. I had lost everything including my group of friends, my place on campus. My home. 

CM Life gave that all back to me and more, and for that I am grateful. Thank you to my Editor-in-Chief Malachi Barrett for giving me this chance and to Managing Editor Sydney Smith for letting me bug her during our days at the desk. Thank you to Photo Editor Kaiti Chritz for being an amazing friend and my calm wind when I was angry and frustrated. Finally thank you to Jared Saigh for being my left hand man. 

Finally thank you to my best friend and roommate Meghan Campbell. You stuck with me through it all and I cannot express in words how much you and your family means to me. 

Thank you Central Michigan University, and thank you CM Life.

Opinion: Mistakes and Small Victories

By Nicole Allen

Social Cafe Director

If I had a dollar for every time someone at Leadership Safari said “get involved” I could probably start paying off a good portion of my loans (which are are going to start in six months).

 But really. For anyone reading this who isn’t involved in a Registered Student Organization, club, group, squad … get involved. 

During my two short years at Central Michigan University, I got involved with Central Michigan Life, WMHW and Moore Media Records. I made friends, portfolio pieces, and real world connections but I also made mistakes.

That’s really what college is about. 

It’s about making mistakes and learning from them. College is a time to discover yourself and find out who you really are. No one is perfect and I think college students often forget that. 

Students think they have to be perfect in everything they do or they won’t make it in the real world. We stress ourselves out until we breakdown. This is supposed to be the best time of our lives yet here we are wishing there was a permanent therapy dog in the library to help us get by.

So for those of you who aren’t graduating this May please know that mistakes happen. You aren’t perfect. Life moves on.

Enjoy your time here. Go to class, but have fun, too. I’m not saying go to every pint night, but a Las Senoritas happy hour never hurt anybody. 

Most importantly, never forget to celebrate the small victories. 

COLUMN: Goodbye College

By: Kelsey Howe

Assistant Advertising Manager

I have to tell you, I’ve been anxiously awaiting graduation all year. I’ve envisioned the entire day in my mind so many times, from the cap and gown, to waiving to my family in the crowd as I sit next to my very best friend grinning from ear to ear. 

But I have to tell you college, it wasn’t until I was packing up my apartment for the very last time that I stopped and realized how truly sad I am to leave you. As I pulled down picture after picture of college memories all across my bedroom walls, I questioned whether I was ready or not to say goodbye. But with the burst of a smile, I quickly remembered all of the things we’ve been through together the past four years that you’ve prepared me for. 

Through the years you’ve shown me that it’s ALWAYS a good idea to say yes. Never say no to an opportunity, because you never know what door you’re closing on yourself. From this, I’ve learned to take every opportunity to learn something new and run with it. I couldn’t be more thankful for the random times I said yes to situations I was uncertain about, Central Michigan Life being one of them. I never would have thought I would spend over half my time in college working for a student run newspaper, however it’s been the best ride yet. I’ve learned more at CM Life than anywhere else in college, including figuring out what I wish to do after graduation. 

Thank you for the friendships and support system I’ve built during the last few years and the amazing professional experiences you’ve prepared me for. Although I might miss living down the street or hall from my closest friends, the late night talks that keep my roommates and I up until the middle of the night contemplating life, football games and tailgates, or going downtown to the bars Thursday nights with my CM Life gang, I know these are memories I will always carry with me wherever I go. I couldn’t imagine life without you, college, and I’m so glad we met. As sad as I am to leave you college, I’ve realized how lucky I am to have something like you that makes saying goodbye so hard. 

FIRE UP FOREVER!

Opinion: When in college, say yes as much as possible

By: Jason Gilbey

Advertising Manager

It’s hard to believe that my college career is almost over, and I’m about to start the part of my life where you work every day until you die, and it’s not OK to drink every night or eat pizza four times a week. Yeah, I’m about to be an adult. Yeah, it’s kind of scary. But you know what? I couldn’t be more excited about it!

The past four years seem like a blur to me now, but the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to say yes, be open to new ideas, and do not be afraid to try things or go places you’ve never heard of before. You never know when the opportunity of a lifetime will come along, and it will be in the place you least expect it.

I have no idea where I would be now if I had ignored my opportunity of a lifetime, and want to use the last bit of this column to get all sappy. 

Of all the opportunities I’ve had in the last four years, the one I’m most thankful for has been getting to work for our award winning newspaper. I’ve gained so much experience here (sometimes more than from my classes), met some of the greatest people and my greatest friends, and figured out what I want to do with my life. Thank you Central Michigan Life for making my college experience so great, and thank you readers for supporting what we do here. 

Take chances! Make mistakes! Fire up and Bleed CM Life!

COLUMN: Saying goodbye to my two CMU homes

By: Kaiti Chritz

Photo Editor

If you would have told freshman me that I would be photo editor of the newspaper my senior year, I literally never would have believed you. That’s sound cliché, but it’s absolutely true. I started my time here at CMU as a biology major, spending nearly every hour in labs and memorizing biological terms in the library. I’m leaving here as a double major in biology and photojournalism, and the drastic differences between the two are still surprising me.

With biology, the majority of outside class time was spent in labs and studying from books. My professors tried to prepare us for the graduate tests, because that’s where most of us end up going. I’ve always been impressed by the dedication of science students who work so hard to have a competitive GPA, truly cramming in the library until the lights turn off.

In journalism, every moment of outside class time is spent working on photo stories or videos, spending genuine time with my subjects and getting to know them to tell their story in the best way. Journalism students impress me every day with taking on the responsibility of being the watchdog for their community. The stories aren’t always to easy tell. The classes were geared towards getting you a job right out of college, not memorizing facts and spending countless hours with notecards. Grades, I dare day, aren’t nearly important as telling the stories that really matter.

I used to think ‘no one understands how much of a challenge this is,’ and maybe that’s still true. Both majors require so much outside of class time to be successful; that I may not have been the best I could be in both majors. But I have so many connections in both fields, and I somehow feel like I’m walking away with more than I ever could have with one major. I may have gone absolutely crazy and had a schedule that literally required penciling in sleep time, but it was worth it. I have two families, one that stems from Brooks Hall and the other that stems from the fourth floor of Moore Hall, and they both challenged and pushed me to be the best I could be. I will truly miss them both.