by Kelsey Wynn | Editor in Chief

When the University contacted me to apply for the role of editor in chief of The Aquinas in April 2020, the prospect of reestablishing a news presence within the Scranton community during a global pandemic felt daunting, to say the least.

The world changed this year. I recall sitting in the Comm department that day before spring break when the University made the announcement that we would commence strictly online classes for the remainder of what was then my junior year. I don’t think any of us could have imagined what would ensue in the few short (but seemingly very long) months thereafter. Suddenly we found ourselves dealing with unprecedented loss, isolation and circumstances unique to any college life we had planned. We began closing emails with, “Stay safe,” rather than, “Enjoy your evening.” We developed new Friday night rituals. We learned how to love from a distance. And to that effect, I think we’ve all said “unprecedented,” an unprecedented number of times.

This semester was definitely a challenging one for so many reasons, but I think we made the best out of it. This was my first year on the newspaper staff and as the managing editor; I’ve loved the experience so far and learned a lot along the way. I’m looking forward to keeping up with the newspaper next semester and in the years to come!

Kelly Nee, Managing Editor

One thing about change and uncertainty is that it is in those periods of limbo where we have the greatest capacity for learning and growing. As difficult and (at times) scary as making room for adjustments can be, the Scranton community has undoubtably risen to the occasion.

Like most undertakings this year, we planned The Aquinas launch over a series of Zoom calls throughout the summer, where our faculty advisor, Matt Reavy, Ph.D., our two managing editors, Kelly Nee and Phil Rauch, and I brainstormed ways to not just make this happen, but to make it a unique and rewarding experience for everyone involved. Nearly half a year out from our first call, I’m proud to say I think we’ve done just that.

It has been a blast being able to write for The Aquinas, develop skills in journalism, and interview all sorts of people throughout the University. It’s been a great learning experience about how to properly report, conduct interviews, and learn the journalistic writing style. In the challenging times of a pandemic, I think we all did a great job in delivering content and curating our website. Now that we’ve learned how to effectively deliver Scranton’s student news, I am very excited for what the future holds. Thank you everyone and I’ll see you next semester!

Phil Rauch, Managing Editor

We’re now operating as a fully online news presence, with about a dozen staff writers with a world of ideas of their own, who I’m just happy to lead. We’ve incorporated some multimedia – package-like stories I’ve produced – as we recognize the world of news is continuously changing and advancing, and we wouldn’t expect to keep your attention if we weren’t at least working in tandem. The Aquinas will have plans to launch additional multimedia projects in the spring, but that we’ll keep secret for now.

Thank you to the Scranton community, who has embraced my team and I and been more than obliging when we’ve emailed you (a few times) or called you (a lot). I’m proud to have helped create something to pass on to classes of Royals to come. The Aquinas wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season. We will see you in February, to continue making the news.

If any students are interested in joining The Aquinas, please feel free to reach out – we’d love to have you. Visit our Contact Us page for my contact information.

All the best,

Kelsey Wynn, The Aquinas Editor in Chief