As of Feb. 1, this past Saturday, I have stepped into the position of interim editor-in-chief of The Signal.
This may sound familiar or like a case of deja-vu if you were in this same place in the paper or on The Signal website last week when you read my predecessor’s words as he resigned from The Signal for a much earned opportunity.
Daniel Varitek, former editor-in-chief, wrote that he was faced with “bittersweet emotions” as he left, and to mirror that, this has been a very bittersweet moment for me as well.
Danny, as The Signal staff and many others know him, was a good leader, a good decision-maker and a good friend to me. It’s bitter to know that The Signal will no longer have Danny in that chair where staff, students, faculty, local journalists and readers alike may have met him.
But at the same time, it is sweet to know that he and others have placed their faith in me to lead them. I intend to do just that and live up to their expectations, the best that I can.
For me, The Signal is really like a home — and anyone reading who hasn’t experienced it may think this is cliche or artificial.
When I joined The Signal, I barely knew what I wanted to do, for a major, a career, in life. I wanted to get involved in something, and a friend recommended I join The Signal.
When I turned in my first story, it was an essay — not an article. The first three weren’t ever published. I was too shy to speak up during team meetings, and I embarrassed myself in every interview with a source for nearly a month.
But because of people at The Signal, no matter how low I had started, I felt I was getting better and learning everyday.
At the time, Christina Maxouris was the editor-in-chief. During my interview for the job, she grilled me with questions — like any journalist would — about the most recent news both on campus and nationally.
For me, her passion for her career was inspiring. But I was sure I wasn’t going to be a journalist, and I could never expect to be an editor, especially an editor-in-chief.
Two years later, I am most certainly a journalist, and I found the same passion I once saw in Christina. Since April 2018, I’ve spent 10 months as a staff writer, six months as associate news editor, eight months as news editor and, now, I have six weeks to be editor-in-chief.
If you noticed the “interim” in my title at the start of this letter, that is because I will be in this role temporarily until the Committee on Student Communications selects a long-term candidate, which could or could not be me.
There’s a lot to look forward to in these coming weeks.
In a week, or less depending on when you’re reading this letter, The Signal’s annual “Sex Issue” will hit the stands. Students can expect thorough, exciting coverage of the Student Government Association season starting in the next few weeks up until spring break, including an informative and entertaining debate.
As editor-in-chief, I’ve prepared myself for this position. Many of you know me as a writer and editor, but I am also a photographer, a video editor, a website developer and, hopefully, a strong leader when I need to be.
I know what The Signal has accomplished and worked on in the past several years, and I know what we need to accomplish now.
I trust myself to do this well, but much of this trust is based on the pride I have in our entire team who deserve to be named.
Bria Suggs, Shari Celestine, Kenneth Lockett III, Andrew Freedman, Erik Indrisano, Brooklyn Valera, Will Solomons, Miro Georgiev, Nadia Mohammed, Monte Lowery, Will Holley, Matt Siciliano-Salazar, Julia Peake and the dozens of writers, artists, photographers and more who put their time and hard work into this paper each week will ultimately be what makes The Signal as amazing as it has been and will continue to be.
With high hopes,
Ada Wood
Interim Editor-in-Chief
