Ava Compagnoni avcompagnoni@ursinus.edu
Spring of senior year, a time to be reflective, grateful, and having the time of your life! As I look back on my almost four years as a member of The Grizzly, there have been some crazy moments that have led me to become the writer I am today.
Starting out as a scared little freshman trying to dip my toes in MCS extracurriculars, The Grizzly was calling out to me. With little to no connection within the Ursinus community yet, I wrote a sports article about the Ursinus men’s basketball team. Since then, I have grown a lot as a writer and as an editor, trying to think of as many creative stories as I could.
My sophomore year, 2020-2021, Ursinus was surreal to say the least. So many moving parts throughout the entire year, COVID, sports, friendships, declaring a second major, AND writing 3-4 Grizzly articles a week! I got heavily involved with athletes, administrators, students, coaches, staff and faculty, almost anyone I could talk to. At the end of the year, I must have written over 50 articles (do not fact check me on that) and I was exhausted from writing. So, I knew it was time for a change.
Junior year rolled around and I got selected as the News Editor for the 2021-2022 academic year! Being a part of the decision-making progress for an entire section, let alone the section with the front page of the newspaper! I wrote fewer articles; however, I found editing other writers’ articles just as enjoyable. I get to see different styles, people’s interviewing decisions, and overall voice in their articles.
Senior year fall comes around and I am back where I started my freshman year, with sports! I became the Sports Editor and absolutely loved everything about the position. Writing and editing the pieces were always so unique, I got to see how student-athletes view their sports, as most of them are very different from tennis for me, and hear their passions.
What’s most special about The Grizzly is that you need ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE TO START! I wrote my first article without taking a single journalism class, did not even take a journalism class until junior year, so it is all about experience and then you can learn how to make yourself better! The Grizzly has given me more skills than just journalism that I will take with me into my professional career, which will not be journalism! It is funny how things work in a way that you least expect it. The Grizzly allowed me to be a part of decisions the administration has made, getting the students’ voices heard, and
I got to talk to Jimmy Rollins! I will miss everything about The Grizzly and remember our unique group for the rest of my life.
xoxo Ava Comp