Many wise women & men have observed that, “A rolling stone gathers no moss,” although I liked that expression best when Jimi Hendrix sang it in his song, “Highway Child.” Well, I’ve definitely done a lot of rolling around NKU’s campus in my five years as an undergraduate student and the most moss that’s gathered around me has been in the newsroom of The Northerner.

I was reluctant to make my way into the world of journalism at first, but once I stepped in, I couldn’t roll away. I had initially been invited by a friend in the EMB program who told me they wanted more video producers and I had just declared a minor in journalism, so I knew this opportunity was too good to turn away from.

After spending some time as a student producer for NorseMedia and eventually developing a music program for Norse Code Radio, I figured there had to be another outlet to complete this bizarre love triangle of college media, and working for The Northerner filled that void in the best and most exciting way possible.

As for being one of the best opportunities for a young college student interested in media production, you will never find a more cohesive and friendlier group of coworkers than at a student newspaper — there’s something about operating on a weekly deadline that really brings people together!

And as for being one of the most exciting venues for creative communication, there is so much opportunity for innovation in college media. Few things in this world are more primal and fundamental to human beings than sharing stories — so when you’re in a room full of creative and talented people looking for a way to share that story in the most engaging and informative way possible, the sparks just keep flying.

And lastly, when it comes to that talented crew of students, producers and ultimately friends mentioned above, there is no better place to find a more diverse pool of talent than in the newsroom.

Getting to see how our business team, web developers, designers and writers connect together to create an incredible end product that each respective member contributed equally to is one of the most worthwhile experiences I will take away from my college career.

As I’m writing these final words and looking back at my progression from a contributing writer one semester to a staff reporter the next and finally serving as video editor, there’s never been a moment spent at the Northerner that hasn’t felt like moving onward and upward.

I never enjoyed sports as a kid, (I’m certainly not a sports reporter!) and I could never understand what the importance of being on a team was. All that time on my own terms helped me develop a sense of identity and individuality that followed me up to my time at NKU. But when the opportunity came to join a team I never foresaw myself at, I couldn’t ever have imagined how rewarding the outcome would be. I may not have any trophies on my wall, but I’ve got more than my share of memories and achievements from these past three semesters than I could ever ask for. Cheers to the future of The Northerner – I will miss it dearly but I’ve gathered plenty of moss.