LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: The Signal to gain new leadership
After four and a half years on staff, I will be leaving The Signal upon completion of this semester. When I first started out as a reporter for UHCL’s student-run newspaper, I never expected to be there longer than a semester.
Now, years later, I have had the opportunity to be on the editorial team for four years – two of which as the editor-in-chief. On top of that, I completed my bachelor’s in communication and in a couple of weeks my master’s in digital media studies.
My time at The Signal has been truly life-changing, as I’ve been challenged and given the chance to obtain skills I never knew I could possess. While it was not always easy, The Signal provided me a playground to try new things, make mistakes and build friendships that I hope lasts a lifetime.
Coincidentally, my last day will be May 19, my birthday. While celebrating a new year in my life, I will also be saying goodbye to a second home.
The countless hours I spent in the newsroom, the laughs shared with coworkers and the experiences that altered what I believed I was capable of, will forever be a memorable part of my journey.
Though sad to leave, I know the paper is in good hands as our Executive Editor, and my friend, Emily Wolfe, takes the reigns starting May 20. Over the past couple of years, I have been able to witness her hard work, dedication and care for the UHCL community. This next chapter in The Signal’s history is one I’m excited about.
I do have some personal thank you’s to give, but you can read those in my final Beyond the Byline blog post.
Lastly, thank you to the UHCL community for not only reading our work but for allowing us to amplify Your Voice. Thank you for trusting us with your stories and allowing me the ability to grow as not only a journalist and a leader but as a person.
Until we meet again,
Brandon Ruiz-Peña
Editor-in-Chief
I began my career with The Signal as a reporter in the Media Production class and I fell in love with the people who worked tirelessly for the betterment of the students.
After I graduated with my bachelor’s in communication, I came back to UHCL, because I wasn’t done with The Signal and I knew The Signal wasn’t done with me. So I returned to the newsroom and became a managing editor, then the executive editor and soon the editor-in-chief.
As excited as I am about starting this next chapter of my life and the next chapter of The Signal, I am loathed to leave behind my constant in the newsroom, Brandon Ruiz-Peña. The legacy you leave behind is incredibly impressive and I would be insane to try and copy it. Instead, I choose to use your lessons and guide the paper to different heights. So thank you, for being a brilliant mentor and a true friend.
When I found out that I would be the next editor-in-chief, I knew that I would be entering into an unknown world of running the paper without a Media Production class. As nerve-wracking as that was, it is nothing compared to trying to figure out how I am going to navigate through COVID-19.
Thankfully, I won’t have to do it alone. I know that my editorial board consists of people who share my love for The Signal and for the UHCL community and they will help guide us all through these unprecedented times.
My favorite thing about The Signal is that we act as the voice of the students here at UHCL. As journalists, we must act in the best interest of the students who put their trust in us to continue telling the stories they need to know.
It is this aspect that will be at the center of my leadership. Everything I do, I do it for the Hawks who entrust The Signal to do the right thing, to tell the stories, to act as their voice.
Thank you to those who came before me and to those who will come after. I hope that I can make you proud.
Always yours,
Emily Nichelle Wolfe
