By Megan Ortiz

I’m not graduating this fall.

I am walking away from something important, though.

This will be the last time I write for this publication while holding the title editor-in-chief.

This isn’t going to be a personal journal entry, as that’s something I have discouraged among the time I’ve been privileged enough to be in charge of this. If you want to get deep, go take a look at my blog. Apparently it’s been circulated quite thoroughly. Apparently I’m interesting.

No, this won’t be what that is.

I’ve not been a part of this publication for as long as some people on this campus. Whether they are on staff, or simply freelancing, my timestamp does not exceed those of others. I moved through the ranks quickly: copy editor, news editor, editor-in-chief in about a nine-month period.

It wasn’t planned like that; it just kind of happened. I’ve always been the one to step up and take charge, mostly because no one else wants to or feels confident in their ability to do so. I refuse to let things go down the drain, so if I must, then I must.

In the beginning, there was an immense amount of confidence placed in me. My passion resonated with many people, and the deep caring I expressed to improve this newspaper ultimately won me the position. However, not all were confident.

Some higher-ups in ASUN expressed their concerns toward my ability to lead this organization, mainly because I’m a stunningly emotional individual. The world doesn’t take kindly to that, and it often makes people believe that it will interfere with a person’s ability to take charge and maintain a sense of calm among a group of people.

Well, I don’t believe in that. It is both correct and incorrect, like most things in life. I saw a newspaper that desperately needed life breathed back into it. Even as news editor, there were frequent moments of uncertainty and a lack of impressive content all the way through that shook my confidence in this publication. It didn’t feel like we were highlighting enough important things, enough human things. And we certainly weren’t listening to what the student body wanted; that much was apparent from our lifelong battle with Coffin and Keys.

Not that everything those people opposed in this paper was correct. Part of being a journalist is reporting what needs to be reported, and that doesn’t always intersect with what the people want to be reported. There needed to be a fair balance, and there needed to be personality in the needs as much as the wants.

So I set little parameters, and opened up creative freedom to my entire staff. I think I have said “No, let’s not write about that” less than five times since I took this position. Open-mindedness is what’s lacking in journalism today. People believe that journalism is dying because society lacks the ability to accept that in order for the written word to survive, you have to stop trying to control it.

Much like this column. I didn’t really know what I was going to write about when I sat down, or how I was going to express what a strange and long trip it’s been working for this publication. But language finds a way to tell the story best when you stop trying to control it.

This office, these people, taught me to relax, yet also be more disciplined. Coming in here, I know I have a family and a group of people that I could call at any given moment; for advice, for condolences, for a joke, or to occasionally yell at. I know that while we may get in disagreements, part of the blessing of being a freethinker is knowing that disagreements aren’t the end all to a relationship; in fact, they’re quite a healthy part of it.

These things have allowed all of us to grow together in a fantastic way. I aimed to help encourage not only my staff, but myself, to become more of a leader. If there were a phrase to get penned over my desk to remember me by, it would be “I’m not a fucking baby sitter,” because I’m not. I’m not here to solve problems for people — I’m here to help them learn how to solve their own problems. I owe all thanks to Paul Mitchell for teaching me that.

And in the process, I guess that happened for me, too. I learned how to stop baby sitting myself, so to speak. Playing it safe and doing what others think you should be doing? It’s not for me, and in my opinion, it doesn’t have a place in a newsroom at all. I’m not here to make others happy; I’m here to speak truth, whether you like it or not.

So the truth is, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without The Nevada Sagebrush. Each one of you, staff and reader, has taught me so much about being dedicated and staying true to myself. More amazing things have happened along the way, such as lifelong friendships, the “Thing/Not a Thing” board, and finally being presented with a verified list of all of Coffin and Keys’ members. (That last one was certainly a highlight.)

More importantly, I’m leaving this office smarter, wiser, more experienced, and with a solid foundation and support system of friends, journalists and mentors who have had enough faith in me to remind me what it means to have faith in myself.

Cheers to you guys, and cheers to this newspaper.

Megan Ortiz studies journalism and English. She can be reached at mortiz@http://archive.archive.nevadasagebrush.com.