The Jambar

Issue date: 4/29/10 Section: Opinion

Many times throughout my career at The Jambar I have been asked one question over and over by faculty, students and friends alike: You're a TCOM major, so why do you work for The Jambar? My answer has always been one word, or noun I should say: Facebook. Yes, the social networking website that for many graduates becomes a hindrance to their job search when they realize they forgot to make last year's photo album of drunken escapades private.

For me it was the opposite. Facebook got me the job, mostly thanks to my listing of graphic design as a minor and former Jambar editor Leonard Glenn Crist's site search for students to take over the task of designing The Jambar. Now nearly four and a half years later it's finally my turn to write this senior staff goodbye letter.

It really does feel like I have been working here forever, and if you were to ask our adviser Mary Beth Earnheardt, she would likely back me up on that feeling, as she jokingly tells me that I predate Jambar founder Burke Lyden. But it has been a long time, and through the years I've had the privilege of working alongside an outstanding group of coworkers.

My first day on the job I was greeted by a newsroom that included Crist, Katie Libecco, Bill Rodgers, Steve Lettau and Justin Smolkovich. More importantly there was cake, as it was The Jambar's 75th anniversary. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I was getting paid to design, and there was free dessert. I knew this was the right place for me.

It's probably time for me to begin thanking people who have impacted me greatly throughout this experience.

Richard Louis Boccia walked through the doors of the office one day and made an immediate first impression on me. I didn't like him. He kept telling me what to do, how to design things, to crop photos differently and to stop messing with fonts. Who the heck did he think he was? Oh, wait; he was hired as my superior. Eventually I gave in and began to see things his way, and that's still one of the best decisions I ever made. I'm not sure I would be where I am today without his help and guidance.

J. Breen Mitchell, Richard's successor, came to The Jambar with a different skill set and a passion for news. He constantly would ask why, research, investigate, make phone calls and push reporters to find the real story. He may not realize it, but it was his enthusiasm for journalism that made me want to try my hand at reporting, which over the last year I've had the opportunity to do. I have to admit I kind of like it.

Continued...

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