I am so excited to be the new Editor-in-Chief of William Peace University’s newspaper, the Peace Times. Since my first semester in the Peace Times, I have been grateful for the opportunity to be a staff writer, news editor, social media editor, and now Editor-in- Chief. Being a Communication student, I have always loved writing, but it has only gotten stronger after being a part of the Peace Times.
I came to Peace in 2016, but with being a commuter it was difficult to be involved on campus. I talked with my advisor at the time about ways to feel more included and he suggested for me to see about joining the Peace Times.
At first, I was hesitant about joining the university’s newspaper. I was just getting used to college and I did not know if I could handle it on top of assignments. After giving it some thought and having my first semester under me, I enrolled in the Peace Times in the Spring of 2017 and have been in the class ever since.
I remember how overwhelmed I was at first to be in the Peace Times. It seemed like everyone around me knew exactly what to do and what article they were going to write about or already in the process of writing, and here I was not knowing how to even create my own staff folder on the class Google Doc.
My first assignment was to write about how Peace students were feeling about the election. It was not a very easy topic to write about, especially with it being my first one, but I was looking forward to being able to interview students around the campus about this topic. I enjoy writing about politics and it gave me the opportunity to meet more students.
When I had collected all my information and sources for this article assignment and began to put it all together, I found my passion. After writing that one article, I knew this was something that I wanted to pursue more. The article was published on the Peace Times site and I was thrilled to see my name with the article. Ever since, I have been hooked.
From writing my very first article and seeing my writing online and in print editions, to being the Editor-in-Chief now, I knew I had found my place on campus within the Peace Times. I am thankful for this opportunity to help other students enjoy writing for the Peace Times, whether they’re new or returning students.
The Peace Times staff work tremendously hard outside of class and in the 50 minutes we have in class once a week, as well as getting ready for our print editions and delivering news to our campus. I cannot express how grateful I am to have the opportunity to help maintain a strong college newspaper staff this semester.
Having a voice and getting it heard is one of the greatest freedoms we have. Whether there is concern on campus or want to make the campus aware of events coming up, we want to cover it for you!
Please leave suggestions of topics you want covered or if you would like more information about ways you can be involved with The Peace Times. Find us on social media @thepeacetimes or email me cbrichards@email.peace.edu.