Although it was short, my time as Editor-in-Chief of The Trend has come to an end. I have spent the last three years serving The Trend and providing quality news, sports, reviews, and other forms of content to this publication, and it has been nothing short of a blessing for me. I have grown my journalism skills extensively as well as become a strong and dedicated leader during this time.
I operated as Editor-in-Chief for The Trend over the last six months and knew what my main goal was heading into this position. Former Editor-in-Chief Emily Loughridge was leaving to graduate in the fall 2024 trimester, and The Trend needed another leader to step up and maintain the standards of this publication. With my internship experience and time with The Trend, I knew I was the perfect candidate for this. However, I’m graduating in this current trimester and realized I would need to find the next Editor-in-Chief for The Trend sooner rather than later.
Since I knew I needed to find quality candidates who could represent The Trend once I graduate,I established the current editorial staff model, as this decision gave each editor the opportunity to be trained and learn the roles of this publication. I’m more than proud of this decision to change the staff structure, as I believe I’ve been a good mentor and leader to represent our staff and help them learn more about this field.
This brings me to the advice I wanted to give our readers; I hope this inspires you to become the best version of who you want to be. I knew my time serving as the Editor-in-Chief was going to be short and not exactly how I had pictured it, but I still gave it everything I had and grew so much as a person before it. This opportunity made me more mature, strong-willed, and persevering and I’ll be able to use these experiences to help solve problems and think critically in my future. I think it’s extremely important to make your best efforts in each endeavor you partake in life because you never know how well you will do, who you will impress, and the positive changes that can come from it.
The Trend has been one of the best things that has happened to me, and that is something I’ll be forever grateful for. I want to thank Faculty Advisor Dr. J.C. Casey for guiding me throughout my time at USAO and this publication. I also want to give thanks to Loughridge and Former Managing Editor Paul Tointigh as they helped me grow and become the person I am today through our time together at The Trend.
I’m also grateful to our current editorial staff and have complete faith that they will represent this publication well. Starting in April, Sports Editor Matthew Yokum will become the next Editor-in-Chief of The Trend and will bring his newspaper internship experience to help him lead into the next era.
As for me, I get to join this publication as a reader and viewer of all content that will be published in the future. I’m more than excited to see where The Trend goes now that I’ve represented this publication and wish nothing but the best for everyone involved.
Gary Jackson is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
