Besides football, working with the newspaper was my only activity in high school, and I knew I wanted to continue both once I got to college. I enrolled in Jeff Jeske’s introduction to journalism course in the spring of my first year at Guilford. I got my first article assignment just a week into the semester, covering the men’s basketball team. Unlike high school, where I got away with going through the motions, meeting The Guilfordian’s tight deadlines and working through the revision process took close attention to detail and submitting my first article was nerve-wracking. Though my first draft was rough, the editors at the time helped me diligently through revision, and I turned out a strong article thanks to their assistance. Getting to talk with coaches and players on the team got me out of my comfort zone, but also helped me establish connections with them for future articles. Once I finally saw my name on a byline of a college newspaper, I was addicted. I wanted to become more involved immediately and worked my way onto the editorial board, serving as the sports section editor for two semesters before being promoted to managing editor, which allowed me to work with all departments in The Guilfordian.

It is beyond an honor to be named the editor-in-chief of an organization that is so deeply connected to the successes I have experienced throughout my college career, and I believe I speak on behalf of a majority of our staff with this sentiment. The Guilfordian was my chance to pursue a passion, and I am forever grateful for everything I have learned in my three years working here.

Now, I am convinced that volume 105 will be one of the strongest The Guilfordian has ever seen. We have such a dynamic team put together, each possessing a multitude of skills that they have demonstrated with their work thus far. Each individual member is committed to continuing the growth of our organization, and we are pushing for more involvement with the surrounding community that we report on each day. We want everyone to understand that The Guilfordian is a family made up of writers, editors, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, cartoonists and publishers all committed to helping one another achieve the common goal of providing our audience accurate and genuine content weekly throughout the semester, and strengthening our online presence to produce more breaking news and updates as they occur.

The Guilfordian has taught me so much, and learning from the older editors gave me skills that have transferred to other aspects of my life. I will be a resource to our new and returning staff members, just like how the previous editors were to me. ~DaeQuan Fitzgerald

Reflecting Guilford College’s core Quaker values, the topics and content of Staff Editorials are chosen through consensus of all 13 editors and one faculty adviser of The Guilfordian’s Editorial Board.