Last week, I wrote about the importance of continually relearning the basics amidst the need to keep up with what is new and growing in the industry. As journalists, we're lucky that our regular assignments are like "field trips" that help reinforce what we already know and the most important aspects of our jobs.
In a similar vein, this week we were reminded of where we came from, another way to help us remember why we do what we do. Commemorating our website's first birthday (it was officially launched one year ago on November 15, 2012), we took a look at our humble foray into online journalism, and doing so gave everyone here at The Ramapo News the push we needed to appreciate where we are today.
Milestones give you perspective in life. As the popular saying goes, you have to stop looking forward to the future to recognize where you are right now.
Just like celebrating a wedding anniversary is a chance to reflect on a relationship, our birthday on Friday helped us relive the long, arduous process that led up to our site's launch and all of the changes and developments we have made since then. It was refreshing to see that we have improved by leaps and bounds, but it was also apparent that we have many more goals we want to see through.
I think often, as people, we don't take enough time to value our achievements. We're wired to seek bigger things, perform better, do more, get ahead. But hitting the pause button on life isn't so bad. In fact, it can be well worth it. Everyone deserves a little pat on the back every so often.
Especially as this is my senior year, my fourth with the paper, I am feeling particularly proud of The Ramapo News. Since 2010, we have redesigned our print product, expanded our social media presence, greatly improved the quality of our reporting, taken on some ambitious projects and survived some of the hardest times in the business and in the world. We have become a stronger facet of our community and have taken our jobs as student journalists increasingly seriously. All of these accomplishments are not lost on me as this semester comes to a close.
And all of these accomplishments motivate me to reach even more milestones. The possibilities are endless… maybe by the time our website turns five, we'll have conquered the world. Or something like that.
That's all the news for now-Nicole
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nalliegr@ramapo.edu
