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I never expected to be back here.

It was in the fall of 2007 I first entered the Publications course at Housatonic Community College. At that time, I didn’t know what the class entailed. I thought it had something to do with learning about how to get one’s writing published in a newspaper, magazine or book. When I read the syllabus the first day and realized it required me to act as a reporter - to actually go out and talk to people – I briefly considered dropping the course in favor of something less demanding.

It wasn’t long before I changed my mind about it, though. By the following year I would become the Editor-in-Chief of Horizons, the student-run newspaper produced in conjunction with the class.

My love affair with the journalism began with that Publications class, and was aided by my unusual college trajectory. I was paying for all my courses at HCC out-of-pocket, and I could only afford to take two at a time. That gave me lots of extra time to devote to other projects, including the newspaper. Even after I’d exhausted all of the credits I could earn from being in the course, I still sat with the rest of the class most days. This relationship continued until I graduated in May 2011.

I would miss the incubator of my passion. But I knew it was time to move on.

The Spring 2008 Horizons Editorial Board.
Photograph by Brandon T. Bisceglia.

Or was it?

Late in 2012, HCC’s adviser to the journalism program, Steve Mark, asked to meet with me. I sat with him one afternoon in the college’s courtyard as he explained that he was taking a semester-long sabbatical to travel to India. He had found another professor to take over the Publications class, but she would need someone with a deep knowledge of the course and the newspaper’s publication process to help keep things on track. He wanted me to be that person.

I was honored, flattered, and excited. I was also a little overwhelmed by the daunting task ahead.

The Publications class actually consists of several layers. There is the traditional academic piece: reading, completing assignments and activities, participation. The academic aspect of the class contains two subgroups: Publications I, for new students, and Publications II, for more advanced students. Although they share a room, the two groups have different assignments and different learning goals.

Then there is the newspaper itself, which is produced through by those taking the class but has its own independent standards. The professor provides advice and guidance, but does not make editorial decisions. Students are responsible for deciding what content gets into the paper, for overseeing its layout and distribution. A group of editors, chosen collaboratively by the Editor-in-Chief and the professor, work with the students to get their stories refined enough for publication. The editors are a third group - some are enrolled in the class, while others work independently.

The picture gets more complex when you add other groups who play a part in the process, such as the graphic design students, who have their own professor. With so many moving pieces, it can be difficult even for someone who has years of experience to stay on top of everything.

Imagine being thrown in with no prior practice!

I knew what a challenge it would be when I accepted Steve’s offer. I also knew it would be an opportunity to learn more about teaching and education. Although I had been in both leadership and mentorship roles in my past incarnation as a student, this was an opportunity to experience some of the pedagogical aspects behind teaching journalism. I would be able to help in day-to-day lesson planning. I would be able to practice a little class instruction.

There were other motivations, as well. I would be helping someone who I’ve come to know as a friend. Despite having graduated from HCC, I still have a personal stake in seeing the newspaper succeed. I am part of its 46-year legacy, and want it to remain relevant for the next 46 years.

Most importantly, I want to help foster the same love and appreciation of journalism in others.

So here I am. Back where I began. I couldn’t be happier.