The Wooster Voice
For the entirety of my college career I wrote for my student-run campus newspaper. I learned how to be a nitty-gritty copy editor, who knows when to capitalize titles, how to interview folks on topics outside of my comfort zone, and even how to stay up until two a.m. trouble-shooting Indesign. In short, I learned so much in the process.
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For three and a half of my four years I proudly wore the title of Chief Copy Editor, giving me final say in what was printed in our weekly newspaper.
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Here are a few of my favorite pieces I constructed and later published along the way.
The Game is Changing
For what I consider my whole life, I have watched almost every major tennis event. From Wimbledon in July to the Australian Open at the beginning of each year, tennis has constantly been a part of my habits. Growing up in a family who loves sports, and especially tennis, it is expected that we have our favorite players. Throughout my childhood and early adult life, every grand slam or tournament has featured the same familiar players, facing the same familiar opponents. As a longtime tennis enthusiast, this is an aspect of sport that I find comforting, yet exciting. Every tournament draw contains familiar faces, although almost every tournament results in new world number ones, underdogs and unexpected upsets.
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With the end of the Australian Open about a month ago, I’ve come to realize that throughout the years, there has been a subtle but constant increase of ‘underdogs’ or ‘newbies’ in the grand slams. In the past, I remember being excited as new players qualified for major tournaments, interested in how they would compare to those we consider the greats such as Rafa Nadal and Ana Ivanovic, just to name a few. Now, as more and more talent erupts, major tournaments are filled with drastically more new players and less of those who I grew up watching and raving about.
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Although this is not an element of sport that is specific to tennis, I feel unsettled with the influx of new talent. It’s somewhat upsetting that the staples of tennis I’ve watched on TV my whole life are fading out or retiring. For example, one of my favorite players, Andy Murray retired at the beginning of this year, a disturbing and weird reminder that someday, the game will be filled with entirely fresh faces and playing styles.
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Obviously, in every sport great players retire, but it is something I never thought would actually occur, or would be so sudden. Due to an increase in fresh professionals and world number ones, I am somewhat less interested in watching these major tournaments. This is because the players I’ve watched year after year win grand slams are no longer making it to the final rounds or are retiring from matches due to injury. For me, I think the increase of these new faces in major competitions will change the way I watch future tournaments and interact with the sport from an audience’s perspective. As a major part of my life, it’s weird to recognize new talent as surpassing those who came before – those who are tennis to me. Understanding that not all the big-name players will be in every major tournament anymore will be something I will have to get used to and somehow appreciate.
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Of course, I commend those who are up-and-coming for their pure talent and grit, but I don’t have the same connection which these players as I did with, in my mind, the staples of tennis. As new talent continues to rise, it is difficult for me to build interest or connections to players I’ve only been watching for two years.
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Regardless of the amazing commitment these professional tennis players have, the tennis I’m watching now is not the tennis I watched 10 + years ago. This is by far my least favorite part of any sport, but I understand it’s a must. As the yearly grand slams continue, I’m hoping to find new appreciation for the players I don’t know as well, while preserving the history of the players I’ve watched my whole life. Despite this shifting, I am interested to see what connections I can make to those I’m not used to winning grand slams.
Minimalism Can Be Liberating
I am a “just in case” type of person. I always bring an extra of whatever I deem necessary “just in case.” I suffer from chronic overpacking and I am only very ashamed. I envy those who willingly live with just what they need. When I first heard of minimalism, I was drawn to the beauty of its simplicity, yet it was something I found constricting. For many years I have aspired to define myself as a minimalist. Through my life I’ve learned that I just feel physically and emotionally better when I have less stuff on my walls, in my drawers and on my mind. Through the course of my semesters here, I progressively send items from my dorm home to make the move out process easier, and I feel, quite literally, a wave of relief. I am constantly surprised that I don’t realize how much my material possessions confine me until they are gone.
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After a four-month stint in Denmark where I lived out of one suitcase (that’s three pairs of pants, people!!), I felt amazing. As soon as I landed in Scandinavia, I was constantly asked, “that’s all you brought?” Finally, I could label myself as a “light packer.” Don’t get me wrong, packing like this was not an easy feat. I probably spent over a week narrowing down my wardrobe and color scheme. Upon my return home, I opened my closet door and immediately felt my heart rate rise. The realization of the quantity of my belongings hit me. In the book Writing Abroad by Peter Chilson and Joanne Mulcahy they mention, “After living among rural villagers with one set of clothing, your crowded closet at home demands that you reconsider ‘necessity.’” Although I definitely did not live in any rural village, this is exactly what I experienced. I had a grand plan of packing one suitcase for this single spring semester I’m on campus but as soon as I saw my clothes, I was overwhelmed, but also convinced that I don’t wear sweatshirts every day and that I do in fact need three button downs.
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About a year ago, Marie Kondo was the craze and although she helped me find uses for all the little boxes I have, she didn’t help me really narrow down my material possessions. I’ve always aspired to own less things and live as simply as possible, but it’s hard. That’s one thing I’ve learned about minimalists, they act like it’s easy. But, they’re right, the process of narrowing down can be daunting, but once that hurdle is cleared it becomes easy. I never felt the confinement I was sure I would, and I never really longed for that extra sweatshirt.
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Long story short, packing for this semester didn’t occur as lightly as I would have hoped, but I’m still optimistic. I aim to one day say with full confidence that I am a minimalist, but until then, here are a few things I’m working on that will hopefully help me reach that ideal:
1. If there are clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn in one year they will be donated.
2. Understand that if I don’t use an item and it doesn’t serve a purpose, then I should ask myself why I have it.
3. Know that minimalism looks different for everyone.
4. Minimalism is not and should not be a sacrifice. I think of it more as a cleanse; something that can help me think clearer and feel better. Maybe it will take me weeks, months or years, but I’m hoping I will feel relieved when I can finally master the art of simplicity.
Advice To a First-Year Student
Reflecting on my Wooster experience, there are a few bits of advice I wish I’d known three years ago. Please note that I am not qualified to give advice. However, I’ve been at Woo long enough to know what Cheesy Thursdays are, and I think that gives me some sense of credibility.
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My first piece of advice is to enjoy the people. There will never be another time in your life where you are surrounded by so many unique individuals — use them! By this, I mean ask as many questions as possible. Pick your professors’ brains. Ask them their favorite books, their favorite places they’ve traveled and why they love what they do. Remember, they are experts! How cool is it that every day we get to be surrounded by people who know so much and are willing to not only share what they know but to set aside time just to chat?
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This leads me to my second piece of advice. Try your hardest not to burn any bridges. It’s a small campus and avoiding folks in the dining hall is never possible. Remind yourself that people come to Wooster because of the community. In essence, this means that everyone is willing to chat and/or extend a hand to some degree. Use our campus community to your advantage and build that network. The next Michelle Obama could be sitting next to you in class but now you’ll never be invited to her garden parties because you were too afraid to say hello.
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Third, use the career center. As students, we hear about APEX a lot, and this is for good reason. I am convinced the career center folks are superheroes and I can’t thank them enough for the input and new perspectives they have provided me. Our Wooster experience does a great job of preparing us for the real world to do real work and the career center is there to help fine-tune our skills and put our best foot forward. When you’re an underclassman, the word ‘career’ is a far-fetched and scary term. However, if I had taken the time to have a 30-minute career coaching meeting once a week three years ago I can’t comprehend the opportunities I would have found and the alumni I would have been able to meet.
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Just know you’re not alone. There are so many people who are right there with you and would love to be your cheerleader. Breathe, find a flex-momma and enjoy what’s to come.