By Madelyn Tullos, Online Editor-in-Chief
Saying “no” at Ouachita feels like a sin. They preach to you freshman year to get involved and offer endless opportunities to do so. Doors appear constantly, and we’re encouraged to run toward them without hesitation. So I did. My strategy was typically to sprint under the threshold and never look back. With any door in sight I would head in its direction.
Most of those yeses filled my schedule. Some filled my resume. But one became something I never expected. Saying yes to be the editor of the Signal was not something I placed on my bucket list freshman year. It was not a door I sprinted to, it was a door placed directly in front of me. There was no denying the Lord placing it in my tracks.
I didn’t sprint through this door as I had the others. I stepped in slowly, filled with gratitude and overcome with expectation. I walked in unsure of what I’d find once inside. What I found was not just a title, but real responsibility. This role has brought me long nights and deadlines. It has taught me to delete the Oxford comma and to compress JPEGs. It has stretched my creativity and my patience.
I carry much adoration for the names at the top of each story. Each member of the staff makes the Signal what it is. They bring it to life. I have learned what it takes to lead. There is a certain weight that comes with holding the final draft. There is an understanding that the words on the page represent more than my own work. They represent the team that has touched them. They represent a publication. They represent a story worth telling well.
There have been moments I questioned if I was equipped. I have wondered if I said yes too quickly. But somewhere between the edits and deadlines came fruitful conversations. I have the opportunity to tell the story of Ouachita in the best way I know how. This role became more than a line on a resume. It is not just a title that was placed before me. The newsroom became a place of growth and purpose. It brought me relationships with people who make the work worth it.
I am blessed to return to this same position for a second year. The newsroom has become home. I frequent its doors. I have many expectations for what this next year will hold. I am expectant for senior year and anticipate having another positive experience in this role. I am excited to watch Marin step into this space and join the fun. I’m sad to watch Jacie go, but so proud of where she’s going. I am ready to see what Dr. Carter will show me this next year and I am thankful for his wise counsel during this first year.
I am excited to watch Marin step into this space and join the fun. I’m sad to watch Jacie go, but so proud of where she’s going. I am ready to see what Dr. Carter will show me this next year and I am thankful for his wise counsel during this first year.
I am overjoyed to welcome my roommate Layten into her editor role and watch her lead the yearbook with excellence. The newsroom is going to be a packed house next year and that brings me so much joy.
A dear friend taught me to keep the doors in life cracked. This would keep me from sprinting through them. It would leave enough room for the Lord to do a work inside, or the power to close the door. This door remains open. My yes resides on the table inside.
OBU Signal, let’s do this thing. Year two here we come.
