When I applied to work in-house at The Daily Orange on a whim last spring, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t majoring in journalism, I didn’t know anyone working here and I’d never even written a piece for The D.O. before. One year later, I have no doubt that that decision was the best one I could have made for my senior year.

Capping off my Syracuse University experience in the Culture section these past two semesters has been one of the greatest honors of my career so far. There is no place I would have rather had a crash course in journalism; thank you to every in-house staffer for welcoming this senior TRF major with open arms. Y’all made 230 a second home for me this year, and for that I will forever be grateful.

Nathan Fenningdorf: Culture’s fearless leader! You are the coolest, most understanding culture editor I could have asked for as an assistant editor. Co-bylining a million and one press releases with you this semester was truly a delight. Thanks for putting up with my incessant singing/humming every night and harmonizing with me occasionally; if I’m ever missing our prodo nights post-grad, I’ll be sure to stream your music on TIDAL so I can hear it in actually-decent quality.

Siron Thomas: My bestie/co-culture asst. editor/son!!!! Digital will be in the best hands under your leadership next semester. I’m gonna miss making fun of you when you forget to update the Bus, but I won’t miss hearing your bandwagon hatred of my Knicks. Thanks for always understanding my animated reactions and not-so-subtle annoyed musings. Your talent for journalism is endless and I can’t wait to see where you end up!

Sophia Moore: Copy editing queen! You remind me a lot of me as a freshman in all the best ways. Your dedication to The D.O. and ability to put out consistently great work are beyond admirable; you’re an amazing writer and you have a gift. Please continue to nurture it in your next three years at SU, and keep standing up for those who need it. (P.S. Thanks for always indulging me in discussions about internet memes and film Twitter.)

Sophie Cohen: Sophie!!! When the semester started I had no idea how I’d tell you and Sophia apart, but clearly you are the impression queen (second only to me of course) and therefore have distinguished yourself perfectly. You made me laugh out loud more than pretty much anyone else in the house, so thank you for that and also for just being an all-around dope person. You light up every room you enter, so I have no doubt you will shine during the rest of your time at SU and beyond.

Rachel Raposas: Second copy editing queen, coverage legend and incoming culture overlord! The section is in great hands for next semester; keep being a sponge and learning all you can, it’ll take you far both at The D.O. and wherever else you strive to go. I’m glad we could teach you who Tom Kenny was, and thanks for letting us meet Loafie!

Anthony Bailey: Culture’s resident cool guy and the king of art-centered pieces! I strive to be as chill as you are. Your headlines and graphics pitches were always so creative, and I’m thankful that you always changed the quotation marks for Instagram embeds in Slack so that Siron and I didn’t have to edit them in WordPress, lol. I hope Zion decides to play basketball again so you can enjoy watching the Pelicans, and if I ever come back to visit, maybe I’ll bring my seafood gumbo for you so it can be judged by an actual Louisiana native!

Emily Steinberger: The most open, warm, understanding and ever-improving editor-in-chief The D.O. could have. I wasn’t sure I’d fit in when I first started working in-house, but from the very beginning, you created a space where I could come to share any concerns or suggestions and feel comfortable doing it. Thanks for being a wonderful leader; I hope you can revel in all the good you’ve done during the rest of your time at SU, you deserve it!

Mandy Kraynak: I know I already called Emily warm, but I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud your warmth and kindness as well! You’ve put in so many tireless nights to make The D.O. the best it could be, and I’m grateful that you helped push Culture and the other sections to produce the best content we possibly could. Thank you for helping us through all of the ups and downs of the past two semesters and for your endless support and care.

Louis Platt: Ohhhh brother!!! Can you please stop following me around Newhouse and on/off campus? That would be nice. Would also be nice if the Sixers won a championship, but sadly that will never happen because Joel Embiid is a fraud who relies on flopping and fake fouls to put up numbers. Anyway, you were a cool Culture editor to learn from. We never got to play LEGO Star Wars in Syracuse, but maybe we can link back in South Jersey or Philly and trade Friends school horror stories.

Abby Presson: Abby P! My partner in food ordering. Thanks for always laughing at my stories and for teaching me, a senior who came out of nowhere, everything about copy and then assistant editing. You were always so gracious with your time, and you also were a huge part of me feeling like The D.O. was the place for me last fall, when I had no idea what I was doing. I can’t thank you enough, but I’ll try: thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sydney Pollack: You are one of the coolest people to ever exist, I think! I hope you had a wonderful semester abroad, and hopefully you can continue contributing your talent to The D.O. when you return to campus this fall. Nights where you controlled the aux last semester were the best nights; I wish you the best in your undoubtedly bright future.

Abby Weiss: Hearing your infectious laugh throughout the house was a highlight of my fall semester. You were an incredible DME and one of the hardest-working people around; I can’t wait to see where life takes you!

Maya Goosmann: Design legend! Thank you for your fantastic graphics and for always gracing the Culture section with your fire ‘fit of the day. I hope next semester you’re able to find your house a lot easier than you were able to this semester, LOL!

Yiwei: Illo legend! Thanks for putting up with our suggestions and edits for illos. Whenever we needed you, you took our words and made them into beautiful visuals that enhanced our stories tenfold.

Mama: Thanks for always answering my FaceTimes even when you didn’t want to hold the phone and Brownstone wouldn’t do it for you. My stories this semester wouldn’t have gotten half the clicks they did without you sharing them on Facebook or sending them out to our friends and family. I’m extremely grateful to have been blessed with a mother who supports every new venture of mine unconditionally and for her to also be my best friend! Love you 2 much 2 touch — I hope I’m making you, Ma, Pop Pop, Grandma Mary and all of our ancestors proud.

Published on May 5, 2022 at 7:00 am

Contact Dakota: [email protected]