Thank you Northern Star family

Angela L. Pagan | Editor-in-Chief 

After four years of living in the Campus Life Building Room 130, today I say goodbye to my family at the Northern Star.

I have gone from columnist to perspective editor to editor-in-chief in a matter of four years. During my time at the Star, I have worked under four different Editor-in-Chiefs and learned editing, page design, web design, basic news writing, opinion writing and so many more skills.

I owe so much to the Northern Star; the publication has played a key role in shaping my college experience. Journalism is a thankless profession; those of us who choose this field do so knowing we will not always be the most popular or well-liked people.

The Northern Star has given me the most hands-on, real life experience I could possibly ask for when it comes to working for a professional publication. Here is where I learned not to be afraid, to tell the truth, to hold people accountable for what they say, to hold myself accountable and be able to admit my mistakes, to stand behind my opinions and my work and, above all, to never stop seeking the truth.

As I said, journalism is a thankless profession, but I love it anyway. I sit here and thank the Northern Star for everything it has given me, and I also want to take the time to thank the people at the Star whom I consider part of my little newspaper family.

Thank you to my managing editor, partner in paper and right-hand woman Maddie Steen. Her dedication, persistence and passion for journalism are exactly what I needed when I took on my position as editor-in-chief. Steen is an unsung hero of the editorial department of the Northern Star.

Thank you to advisors Maria Krull and Shelley Hendricks. Our business advisor Maria is the heart and soul of the Northern Star. She has been here for so many years, NIU should put her in their own hall of fame. Her “jolly good” demeanor lights up the newsroom and amazes everyone around her. She loves the Northern Star, and she shows by caring for all the students who work here as if they are her own children.

Shelley is another guiding light in our newsroom. Without her guidance and long editorial talks, I don’t think I would have remained as calm and collected as I did. I thank Shelley for always having helpful tips and sound advice. I hope the next generation of Northern Star staff appreciates what a resource she is.

My final thanks go to my editorial team at the Star, both past and present, without whom I could not have survived a full year as Editor-in-Chief. Each one of the editors and their talents helped bring the Star to a new level of editorial strength.

I am so proud of all of you for the hard work you have put in to create a stellar newspaper.

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Northern Star staff made biggest impact in my time here

Maddie Steen | Managing Editor 

When I first came to NIU, all I cared about was filling my schedule with classes and as many work hours as possible – I had no time or desire to busy myself with friends. It took me three semesters ignoring all clubs and organizations before I joined the Northern Star, thinking it would only enhance my resume. I never expected what the newspaper had in store for me.

I’ve been here for 2 ½ years. I started as a columnist, progressed to visual editor, then perspective editor and have now been in my current position as managing editor for one year. The incredible opportunities of growth here are endless.

Through all the time I’ve spent here, the Northern Star staff has become the only family I’ve ever known at NIU. They are my best friends – though they probably have no idea what they mean to me. I know I’ve probably never said it aloud, but I appreciate all of you and am so proud of everything you’ve done.

Every Wednesday and Sunday, editors would spend way too many hours together working hard and hardly working, eating way too much food, talking more than I could stand, laughing and nearly crying. I have gotten to experience just how difficult it is to create a paper, yet this semi-dysfunctional family of ours has given me the greatest memories I never knew I wanted.

The people I’ve worked with have shown ample amounts of dedication to not only each other, but very clearly to the paper. These people are some of the most talented I’ve ever known. People who aren’t staff members can never imagine how chaotic the day gets when a story falls through, how it feels to pull everything together last second and leaving knowing it will happen all over again in three days – yet no one here turns away.

My last column has been really difficult to write because absolutely nothing I can say will ever encompass the feelings I have for the Northern Star. The only thing I haven’t said is I’m really going to miss my Editor-in-Chief Angela Pagan, who cried with me in my hammock before our last production while reminiscing over our growth.

She found me sitting in the back of a journalism class we shared, looking like trash and still had faith in me.

It’s been an honor to work with a group of friends willing to drop everything just to contribute, despite knowing they may never be thanked. I am filled with hope knowing people the same as me will come into this office and leave with the same sense of fulfillment I am blessed to feel right now. You guys can do it, and you’re going to do it together. Never forget that what we do is hard, but our work matters.

I am grateful for being a part of this paper and finding the family I once thought I didn’t have time for.