Not very long ago, I decided to attend my first Stute meeting. Well, I shouldn’t say that I decided, rather it was my freshman roommate who dragged me to the Howe Building that night to attend The Stute’s first General Body Meeting. I remember walking in and sitting on the floor with an obstructed view; the office was filled to the brim with students interested in becoming staff writers, opinion columnists, photographers, etc. With absolutely no journalistic experience, I bravely signed up for my first news article, and within the next week, I anxiously conducted my first in-person interview. I quickly brushed off my anxiousness, citing first-day jitters as the anxiety-inducer.
After getting a few weeks of writing experience, my next semester I was appointed as News Editor. I was stoked for my first real position within The Stute, but the jitters persisted. My responsibilities were pretty minimal, but I was happy to have a larger role within the newspaper.
Last year around this time, I was elected Managing Editor while being online, and the same jitters followed, but with higher stakes. Whilst transitioning into the position online, I faced a fair deal of imposter syndrome and consistently doubted my abilities to oversee the editorial side of The Stute. But as time went on, I began to get comfortable in my position and, dare I say, confident in how I did my job. I was able to learn the nitty-gritty aspects of The Stute, and let me tell you, getting an article from an initial idea to a polished piece on the front page is no easy feat (if you know, you know). At some point, I noticed that my jitters started to subside. Overall, while taking on the mantle of Managing Editor was demanding and challenging, it was also unbelievably rewarding.
This past Tuesday, I was elected as the Editor-in-Chief, and the jitters are back and bigger than ever. Within the past week, I’ve begun to feel the full weight of the position, knowing that I have massive shoes to fill. To be completely candid, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to take on the position. Regardless of my jitters, I’m extremely excited to take on this position.
In doing some reflection, I think the jitters indicate the coming of a new challenge. More importantly, I’ve learned that they never go away. No matter how many difficult roles you may take on, no matter what kinds of difficult challenges you face, no matter how much you learn, jitters are a part of the process. So in sum, I welcome the jitters for now and the future.
So to formally introduce myself, my name is Sanjana Madhu, I am the new Editor-in-Chief of The Stute, and I’m here to tell you that the first-day jitters never stop. And if the jitters do stop, that means it’s time for you to find a new challenge.
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