BLOG: Fighting fear of failure despite Signal success
It has been one year since I’ve taken on the position as Editor-in-Chief of The Signal. In that time, I have been able to work alongside very talented and creative peers who have been dedicated to making the University of Houston-Clear Lake’s student-run newspaper stronger than it’s ever been.
I’ll be honest, I was not sure how this past year would go. No matter how prepared or organized I was, there was still a fear of failure. Even now, the feeling of “it’s just not good enough” lingers in the back of my mind.
Going into this position, I knew I had something to prove. Not necessarily to anyone in particular, but mostly to myself. As the first person of color to be the editor-in-chief of The Signal in 10 years, it was important to me that our coverage expanded in terms of diversity.
The American Society of News Editors came out with a report in 2018 that found white persons made up 82.42% of newsroom leaders. Additionally, only 5.62% of Hispanics made up newsroom leaders.
These statistics speak to the importance of having diverse representation not only in the newsroom but also in the content being produced. Luckily, since I’ve been on the editorial staff of The Signal, the majority of our leadership positions have been filled by minorities.
Over the past four decades, UHCL has evolved into a more diverse campus. Thus, ensuring all minorities have a platform in which to voice their views is a necessity.
Beyond a dedication to diversity, The Signal has strived to become Hawks’ go-to source for UHCL news. Our commitment to informing, educating and engaging our audience is still strong.
However, there are times when oversights happen and mistakes are made. The hits hurt, but we have to take them in order to learn and grow.
As professional and on top of things as we strive to be, at the end of the day, our staff is still made up of students. The same students one sees enjoying lunch at the Patio Café, studying in the library, asking questions in the classroom, and participating in UHCL traditions.
In the last year, The Signal tied as one of the top digital university student newspapers in the country and won for best chili at UHCL’s Chili Cook-Off with the Office of Orientation & New Student Programs. Additionally, our team pulled together four special edition issues and churned out over 30 issues.
Also, in the last year, The Signal has received more outreach from those in and outside of the UHCL community with coverage ideas. In the almost four years I have been with The Signal, I have never seen the paper receive so much attention and interest.
As I enter my final year as both editor-in-chief and as a UHCL Hawk, I want to continue building upon The Signal’s reputation. That includes being the platform for Your Voice, the source to learn more about Your Community, and ultimately, being Your Signal.