Secrest: To the arts, to The Collegian: Thank you

Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU.

If I hadn’t joined The Collegian, I probably could’ve saved myself from a B or two, kept some seriously needed hours of sleep and definitely saved some money on Lory Student Center coffees and Ramskeller pretzels. But then again, if I had never joined The Collegian, I simply would not be who I am today. 

When joining The Collegian my sophomore year, I had no idea what I wanted to do within my degree. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million times: College is hard. Not just in the way of studying, internships, jobs, attendance, but college is hard because, in the midst of it all, it can be easy for life to turn into a constant cycle of checking off boxes. 

I could probably lie and say that as soon as I joined The Collegian, I was no longer checking off boxes but instead found an instant drive for my career, community and purpose, but, in all reality, I actually felt more lost than ever. I didn’t know what I was doing, I was so scared that I would write something bad that I barely picked up stories and, most of all, I didn’t even feel excited about what I was writing about — that is, until Milo Gladstein. 

Milo took me under his wing, exposing me to the live music scene in Fort Collins. I wrote my first concert review article and created my first co-bylined gallery with Milo for one of our favorite bands: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. I remember getting home the night after the concert and interviews, truly feeling something new. I had never been more inspired or driven. I began to primarily cover the live music scene in Fort Collins, and my passion for visual arts followed.

Milo gave me space to grow, always picking up the phone when I would call, setting me up with freelance work, answering all my stupid questions and teaching me that you do not have to have the best equipment, the flashiest new lens or even be the most skilled writer to be in the field of journalism. You just have to care. 

After Milo graduated, I began to embrace the community that I have grown to love, and eventually I gained the confidence to apply for arts and entertainment editor. 

Traditional journalism does not leave room for the arts very often, but The Collegian made space for the A&E desk to grow and, in turn, it made space for me. No offense to Colorado State University’s journalism department, but I can honestly and unequivocally say that Rocky Mountain Student Media took me in as a student and molded me into a journalist. 

I learned that while my beat may not be state policy and breaking news coverage, the arts allow for a bridge between the policy and the people. Art lives and grows with us, acting as a tangible element to intangible experiences. Like many, art has always impacted and influenced my life. Throughout my childhood, art was my escape; throughout middle school, it was my obsession; in high school, it became a necessity; but in college, it simply became a part of me.

The Collegian not only gave me space to explore the stories and people who lay behind the arts, but it never told me that a goal was too big or small. I don’t know if I would say The Collegian itself changed my life, maybe more than the Fort Collins art community did, but I would say that The Collegian gave me the room to grow into the journalist, student, photographer, scholar and person that I am today. Without it, I would have never explored the stories behind the art, been introduced to the mentors who I am most grateful for, the musicians who shifted my perspective on the power of music and the artists who redefined what I thought it meant to be an artist. Most importantly, I would have never been surrounded by the team that makes The Collegian what it is. 

So, yes, my sleep decreased, my caffeine addiction increased, my classes became a lot harder to ace, and thank god. In all honesty, I can only imagine the incomplete version of myself I would be without The Collegian, and for that, I will forever be thankful that I never had to meet her.