The Times-Delphic has been my home since my first-year at Drake. I have witnessed both the struggles and successes of my peers. The prosper and plight of our bulldog community. The triumph of my fellow man and also the devastating challenges of being human.

COVID-19 has forever changed this world. We have all lost time and loved ones and our sense of what is normal. There are no words that could do this collective mourning justice. All I can say is that I see you and I love you. 

Being a journalist, at least personally, has afforded me an interesting perspective. I am acutely aware of the fact that the events, moments, and memories that occur both to and around me will one day fade. That I will be left to tell the stories with a foggy recollection and paled newspaper. 

There have been some titular events I have gotten to report on: Paint it Black, the 2020 election, a call for racial justice, COVID-19. But the majority of stories we tell exist in a middle ground: the promotion of a professor, a change in RSO status requirements, the birth of a new organization. These can seem minor in comparison, but I have learned that those moments matter. That there is a certain beauty in the little things, that it’s those stories, the day-to-day memories that add up to the sum of our parts.

This year the student body has come together to support journalism more than ever before. With any move to defund or discredit journalism, the community has showed up with a deep well of love and support. I will forever be grateful for that outpouring. 

“There’s nothing more important in a democracy than a well-informed electorate,” this is a quote from one of my favourite television shows and something I repeat a lot when asked about why I got passionate about the news. As we have seen, there is something to be said for speaking truth to power. There is something to be said for writing about things because people have a right to know, because people have an obligation to remember. It is my hope that the legacy and importance of this paper does not wane. 

I am very grateful for my three years at Drake and that all of it was spent in the newsroom. I want to thank everyone who let me tell their story, even if it was but a slice of it. I want to thank my staff, advisors, and team who work tirelessly to make something happen each week. I want to thank the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for their top-notch training, support, and for allowing me to cause chaos and keep coming back the next day. And I want to thank you, readers and bulldogs. It’s been a privilege.

Lots of love,

Rachel James