Put this in bold, underline, highlight, italicize it—because if this is indeed my final contribution, then let it be known that joining The Setonian was one of the best decisions I ever made.
And when I say it, I truly do mean it.
When I joined my junior year, I was simply looking for a way to hone my writing skills—I never could have imagined the unforgettable opportunities that it would afford me, as well as the unforgettable people I met and friends I made.
But its impact goes way beyond just that: not only has it been those unforgettable opportunities and people, but it's also what joining has done for me on an individual, emotional and psychological level.
Admittedly, I often struggle with self-esteem and self-worth—which by no means makes me unique, especially among my peers on campus, but nevertheless has been an obstacle for me for quite some time. With that being said, joining The Setonian helped me make real progress in that regard, and for several reasons.
For one, the trust my colleagues placed in me virtually from the onset did wonders for my confidence. I was brought on as an assistant editor of the Sports section upon joining, and was promoted to head editor not long after.
On top of that, both my former and current editor-in-chief and managing editor were always encouraging and supportive, and gave me an incredible amount of freedom to just do my thing however I chose to do it.
More importantly, though, they were also always willing to clock me when I needed it, which further showed me that they cared not only about the newspaper itself, of course, but also my well-being as both a writer and person, which I will always appreciate (shoutout to the chat fr, heart emoji).
Furthermore, the work itself gave me a sense of purpose and importance that I always relished. Even with Seton Hall’s smaller campus and student body, it can still feel like you're just another student or that you even hardly matter at times (hopefully that’s not just me).
But considering how important sports are to the SHU community, and the responsibility I felt to deliver such news to them, I enjoyed a sense of importance—maybe even a sense of celebrity at times, which I hope wasn’t too obvious.
Lastly, joining The Setonian showed me what I was truly capable of as a writer.
I was aware of my strength in academic writing, but journalistic writing was something entirely new to me: having to adjust to AP style after years of MLA indoctrination; the different word economy; the shorter, more timely deadlines—it was a whole different animal, really.
But learning to tame that animal has been gratifying. I now pride myself on being able to seamlessly switch between the two different modes of writing, with each strengthening the other.
Often I remind myself that we’re all living life for the first time—which may sound like a fake-deep cliche or something your mom might post to Facebook, but it's true, and it's helped me in moments of empathy, difficulty or uncertainty.
But there is one thing I’m more than certain of: that joining The Setonian has been nothing but a rewarding experience for me. It helped me grow as a writer, journalist, even student—but, most importantly, as a person, and for that I will forever be grateful.
A special thank you goes to everyone who supported me to any extent along the way, whether you were a part of The Setonian or not. Your help, encouragement, generosity, conversation or even simply your presence never went unnoticed or unappreciated.
And, finally, another special thank you to everyone who made it this far into my little soliloquy. For its final act, I’ll leave you with this advice: no matter how hard things get, how heavy the weight on your mind, or how steep the challenge, keep going.
As corny as it may sound, those two words have made all the difference in my life—and I wouldn’t have reached this point without them.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
