Dear reader,
Even though we are always living in the present, I often find myself constantly thinking about the future.
When I was a freshman on campus, I couldn’t wait to start my journalistic career and create content that gives me the opportunity to change one life at a time through the power of storytelling.
But now that I’ve started the work and attempted to provide voices to the communities around me, I’ve realized the possibilities of progress are just a conversation away.
The future of The Recorder lies within the aspiring journalists who were just like me when I entered the program. However, actions transpiring as I’m currently writing this are making their experience so much different than mine, so how do I prepare them for that?
In an open forum with President Zulma Toro, she answered a question regarding the reason as to why President Trump is seemingly impeding the accessibility to college in a concise way.
“To me, it’s to have a less educated society in the United States,” she said.
This very raw, very real answer took me back, not for the fact that what she said was radical, but because what she said made me think, what am I doing to prevent that from happening?
Going back to my role and how our actions impact not just CCSU, but a much larger constituency, it made me question how I can foster the future to keep not only the Central community informed but also anyone who picks up an issue.
When ingesting information always vet your sources. Who am I? Who is Marcus Saunders? These are questions you should be able to answer not because you read our stories or see our names in bylines, but because you’ve seen us on campus handing out the newest issue or you’ve been one of our gracious interviewees.
You have to read. Not just what you can easily grab on your way to class but find an article or two a day where you just sit and ingest the content. Being present is only achievable if you are aware and vigilant.
Get involved. We here at The Recorder are always looking for new writers, but the opportunities don’t just stop there. If you have any suggestions, email them to [email protected]. One of my younger peers took the time to give me notes on the paper of things we can do better, and this helped us exponentially because your opinions matter. Whether it be a suggestion about something we should be including in our coverage, or if it’s furthering the development of a story with access you have, collaboration is how we thrive.
It also doesn’t hurt to indulge us in conversation. Living in a 24/7 news cycle there are always things to talk about, so if you’re ever approached by one of us don’t be afraid to give us your very unique insight.
To my fellow journalist, don’t stop reporting no matter how bleak the situation may seem. The suppression of our voices only leads to the loss of said voice. Instead, amplify them. Someone out there needs to hear what you have to say.
Although we can’t predict the future, we can certainly prepare for it.
Wonderful wishes,
Elijah Hernandez
Co-Editor-In-Chief
