To the students and faculty members of Madison College. Hello! My name is Nicolas LaMorte, and for the next two semesters I will be the editor in chief of our school newspaper, The Clarion.

For the past three years, I have been a student at Madison College, learning and growing from and along with you. I’m almost 26, yet only recently have I been walking the path I’ve been searching for my whole life, a path that feels right for me. Becoming editor in chief has been a dream come true, and is testament to the opportunities provided to me by our school.

I won’t bore you with the official details of the position. “Winging it,” is not the right phrase, but it’s close to what I’m doing right now. Sure, there’s a list of responsibilities, a sort of universal code of ethics I must metaphorically swear an oath on, promising to uphold the sacred laws of journalism. I’m also trying to figure out how to use Adobe InDesign.

I won’t try to fool you. I have little experience working at a newspaper, let alone running one. Last semester I was fortunate enough to run into then editor in chief, Natalie Connors, at an LGBTQ dance party in some unremarkable warehouse on the east side. She’d had a chance to read my work before, an op-ed piece that was written as a class assignment. After an impromptu interview amidst the writhing and gyrating bodies, I was suddenly the opinions section editor.

And now, as the new editor in chief, I will strive to lead my fellow editors, writers and reporters in an effort to better connect with you, your stories, and the events that affect all of us. Whether it be here at Truax or at any other Madison College campus, we will work to serve you with meaningful and insightful stories. Ours is an excellent school, with talented, interesting and diverse students and educators that fill our classrooms and hallways. Your stories and lives are what matter to us, and it is my responsibility to provide you with stories which reflect that idea.