I Finished College Early and All I Got Was This Lousy Send-Off Article
Outgoing Managing Editor Emily Stellakis (left) and outgoing Campus News Editor Sasha Tuddenham (right) reflecting on their paper. Photo by Matt Devine ‘24.
One thing about me: I do some of my best thinking on trains. It was on a reflective Northeast Regional Amtrak train ride from Washington, D.C. home to New Jersey for Easter that I had an original thought: what if I graduated early? I opened DegreeWorks. Yea, I realized as I scrolled through my degree progress, I could probably do that. As the countdown on my phone confirms, I will indeed be doing that, in less than 10 days now.
When I moved out of Marist last December ahead of my semester in Washington, graduating early was not on my radar. In fact, as my sister will aptly point out to you today, I said she was insane for her choice to graduate early (sorry Lizzy). Why would anyone leave college any earlier than you have to, I’d ask. And then I spent eight months on my own in Washington, living — in the least dramatic way I can put it — my absolute lifelong biggest Poli Sci major dreams. When I had some time to reflect on that Amtrak journey home, the idea of graduating early was suddenly appealing. If I could get back to the life I was living in D.C. any sooner, I should probably do that.
Another thing about me: I make all my big decisions using pro-con charts. When I sketched out my chart on the question of graduating early, there were only two items on the con side: leaving my friends, and leaving this newspaper.
The Marist Circle has been a constant throughout these whirlwind three and a half years. I went to the Circle’s first meeting of the fall 2020 semester (on Zoom, of course), highly intimidated but completely inspired. As I listened to the editors share their visions for the year and detail their story pitches, I knew I wanted to be just like them one day.
When the outgoing City/National News Editor, Danielle Sica, invited me to take her post in 2021, I was ecstatic. Running that section for my sophomore and junior years was a complete joy. And I’ll still tell anyone who will listen about the time I covered President Biden’s speech at IBM. That was unreal.
I love being Managing Editor. Two things about me: I love grammar, and I love writing emails. So this is the perfect role for me. It’s been a pleasure, and I’m sad to cut it short.
The people are what make the Circle so great. I will now proceed to thank them.
To Sam, an immensely dedicated and hard-working Editor-in-Chief: I remain deeply sorry for dropping the bombshell of my graduating early with no warning in the LT computer lab a few weeks ago. I have zero doubt that you will take the Circle to new heights next semester. Your unwavering commitment to this paper is inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what you do next. For one, you should get the Circle some bean bags.
To Sasha, a brilliant outgoing Campus News Editor: nothing will ever be funnier than our revelations on graduating early in the Hudson Heritage Starbucks. You are an insanely talented reporter, and I know you will go far. I can only hope we will be gabbing and gossiping in a Tatte Bakery & Cafe so soon.
To Erin-Leigh, a tenacious Opinion Editor: you are taking my job and my dorm room. I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it; you are an extremely capable journalist, and I know the Circle will be better for your leadership. And you are one of my dearest friends. Be careful with the Oxford commas, please, and also, the desk chair in my room squeaks; you should maybe get that fixed.
To Amanda, our Chief of Graphic Design and a true backbone of the Circle: thanks for handling all the last-minute edits, including those you will have to make in order to print this article (sorry). You don’t get nearly enough credit for your hard work.
To the rest of this killer editorial staff, namely Emma (our incoming Assistant Managing Editor!), Mackenzie, Andrew, Hannah, Anaiya (happy graduation to you, too!) and Lea: you all are a powerhouse team. I know you will do big things next semester, and I can’t wait to read all about it. Reminder to be more fun at meetings.
To Lauryn and Greta: thank you for trusting me to take on this role. We miss you always; keep killing it.
To everyone who contributes to or reads our paper: thank you, thank you, thank you.
And to our faculty advisors, Professor Basinger and Dr. Lerner: thank you for all you do to support our paper. Professor Basinger, your guidance and expertise on photos is deeply appreciated. We are continuing to work on it.
One more thing about me: this paper has defined my college experience. It means everything to me, and I am so, so grateful. Remember me!
Best,
Emily Stellakis
Managing Editor