Lorianne Willett

As I reflect on my previous three years at The Daily Texan, I feel so nostalgic from the day I opened my email at the PCL during my first semester at UT to the headline, “Congratulations, you have been selected to be a Contributor for the Diversity & Inclusion Board at The Daily Texan.” I realized that freshman year me would have never expected to become the Director of Advocacy & Belonging at one of the most highly regarded college newspapers in the country. Honestly, I thought I would be relieved that my time here was coming to a close because that meant no more maestro on Sundays, no more in-person production on Mondays and Thursdays, no more Slack and Trello messages and no more weekly board meetings. However, that also meant no more seeing my fellow staffers who brightened up those sluggish Sundays and long production nights by filling them with so many laughs and great memories. 

My last semester at the Texan was surprisingly the most challenging. With the passing of Senate Bill 17, the Diversity and Inclusion Board was renamed to the Advocacy and Belonging Board, along with many other restrictions. It felt like an extremely large setback with regard to all of the substantial progress I had seen with inclusive coverage throughout my time on the board. To my surprise, I was able to see how each department went above and beyond by bringing light to topics never covered before.

First and foremost, I want to thank Rachael Hatchett for selecting me that first semester of my freshman year and allowing me to work under her leadership for almost two years. I also want to thank my two associate directors, Abigail Mimbela and Raya Bhattacharyya, for being so supportive both inside and outside of the basement, and truly being the highlight of my semester. Abi and Raya, I will forever be grateful for your patience, flexibility, understanding and unmatched humor throughout the past year. Kirti, I am so appreciative of our weekly gossip sessions and I am so lucky to call you one of my friends through this experience. Peter, I am so thankful for the positive space you have helped create at this newspaper and everything you have done for us as staffers. 

I want to thank each and every contributor who has worked under my leadership. You have challenged and encouraged me in so many different ways and I will always be appreciative of that. One of my most important thank-you’s goes out to each department head who helped lead this paper during my last semester and made me so proud to work here: Joelle, Mimi, Evan, Areebah, Lorianne, Emma, Trinity, Carla, Diego, Aislyn, Stephanie, Nicolas and Ali.

Being a member of management is a position that I never believed I would have the opportunity to hold, but with the support of five amazing individuals, I did just that. Amelia and Ireland, thank you for making some of the tougher moments in the newsroom feel a little brighter and less isolating. I cannot wait to see what you both accomplish as future managing editors. I know this newsroom will be in good hands with you as leaders. Chloe, I am so lucky that we had the chance to work in management together for a whole year. I will miss our debriefs so much and I feel so lucky that I got to see how you impacted the digital realm. 

Being Editor-in-Chief is arguably the toughest job at The Daily Texan, and Lucero Ponce makes it look so easy. Lucero, thank you for being such an amazing friend and motivating force. You have been such an inspiration for what a leader should be and I am so glad to know you. I will miss our bonding sessions over Taylor Swift and therapy, and I hope you know how much you contributed to this experience being so positive for me. 

Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank Breigh Plat. Breigh, I am extremely grateful to have known and worked alongside you for these past three years. I am so proud to have started out here as your fellow contributor, only to see you become the best Managing Editor there ever was during your last semester here. From the moment we met, I knew you would absolutely kill it in every position you serve. You have provided me with both emotional support and comical relief throughout my entire time here, and I will forever be grateful to know you. 

I wish I could thank every single person who made a positive impact on my life during my time at this newspaper, but there would never be enough room. Throughout my time here, so many people have unknowingly boosted my mood on overwhelming midterm weeks, made me laugh in times of hardship and provided me with a safe space to be open and honest. This past year in management has provided me with new challenges that I will look back on as an amazing learning experience. While I know this is the right time for me to say goodbye to such an incredible newsroom, I will forever be grateful for what this position has taught me and for the memories I made here at The Daily Texan.