It is a tradition for the outgoing Editor-in-Chief (EIC) to write a message before they pass on the baton. It is also a tradition I have been dreading to take part in since I became the lead Editor, photographer, archivist, writer, recruiter and decision-maker of The Mirror in May of 2023.

I joined the paper at the end of the fall semester my sophmore year. Before that, I did not even know Drury had a paper and was surprised when I received an email from the previous EIC about needing more staff writers and inviting myself and others to an interest meeting.

When I arrived to the meeting, I learned the truth about the state of The Mirror. It was holding on by a thread, remaining only by the force of its 138 years of history and the remnants of the resilient staff writers that fought to keep the paper alive from the years prior.

However, I felt like I finally found my place at Drury in that meeting. The following semester, I began my introduction on all things journalism, learning the ins and outs of how to write interesting and provocative articles. Imagine my surprise when only a few months as a staff writer, Professor Greg Booker—our esteemed advisor— asked me to become the next years EIC.

I was under qualified and terrified, yet I had also never been more excited. I spent the summer planning, researching, making goals on how to increase staff and thinking about the kind of leader I wanted to be.

I wish I could say, “and the rest was history,” but that could not be further from the truth. In the last two years, The Mirror has undergone many challenges and faced scrutiny by those in positions of power. Staff writers came and went and those who remained had to do double the work. Yet The Mirror persisted.

All of our hard work paid off as the paper became more recognized on campus. Faculty and staff started to pick up our newspapers again and our website was getting more traction.

In the moments when I was unsure whether our monthly prints were being read, someone— whether a faculty member or fellow student— would come up to me to tell me how much they look forward to them. They would say it was the only time when they felt informed about what was going on at Drury.

Along the way, I met all my goals for how I wanted the future of The Mirror to look like. I increased my staff and helped to teach them how to write their own interesting and provocative articles while being the strong, patient EIC I strived to become.

Since becoming EIC, The Mirror has won 15 awards, including Second Place for Best Overall Newspaper at the 2025 Missouri College Media Association (MCMA) Convention and Most Improved Organization at the Drury Awards on April 30.

I am proud of myself for all things I have accomplished since being the EIC, but I am prouder of my amazing staff writers. I would not have been as successful if it were not for them and my officers — Rylan DeHaven, Managing Editor; Sophie Meek, Layout Editor; Leila Ehrichs, Layout Designer; and Madison Stahl, Copy Editor.

I would also like to thank our advisor, Booker, for taking a chance on me. He has been my boss, mentor, friend and the one to go to bat for me when I got into hot water with campus administration. He has never doubted me, and for that, I am grateful to him.

While a piece of me will always miss my time as EIC, I know the paper is in great hands. To the incoming Editor, the brilliant and charismatic Zachary Stockton, you will do remarkable things. I believe that you will take The Mirror farther than I ever could and continue to use the paper to connect our campus together across multiple departments, reaching to its farthest corners.

And if I could offer any advice to Zachary and other current or future staff on The Mirror: Do not be afraid to ask the hard questions. Get the whole story. Ask for help if you hit a dead end. And most importantly, do not forget to hit the record button.

Photos courtesy of Maddy Bohman