Last May, I took over the helm from Alex Peru, and hit the ground running as the new editor in chief of The VanCougar. Becoming the editor in chief of the school newspaper has been like a homecoming for me because in high school I had a passion for writing, but when I started college, I automatically assumed that writing would get me nowhere in life. When it came time for me to enroll in classes for my first year of college, I soon realized that I had no clue what I enjoyed doing, let alone what else I was good at beyond writing. How many eighteen year olds actually know what they want to do for a career? Or twenty-eight year olds, or forty-eight year olds as my parents laugh about.
I’m on my third major—English. I started with nursing, and soon realized I actually disliked science and felt faint at the site of a sizable amount of blood (kind of an important job requirement for a medical professional). With that being said, I moved on to business. But I just couldn’t get excited about it. It was the safe choice with the highest chance of a good salary and ability to pay off student loan debt (now there’s a story in itself). Then, after taking an English class as a requirement, I realized how much I loved writing and how much I had missed it. From that moment on, I decided to pursue my passion and become an English major.
Now that you know a little bit about me, let’s talk about my plans for the future of the newspaper. The VanCougar is a place where students can get their voices heard, get the facts, and get to know what’s going on around campus. The newspaper is meant to serve the students, faculty, and staff of Washington State University, but it can’t without you—our reader. One of my initiatives is to confront the challenges the publishing industry is facing; we are in a time of constant evolution and I plan to confront this challenge with fresh eyes. I want to increase not only our readership, but also our online foot traffic. I want to build a more prominent online presence that draws people in, and when they get to our website, I want to give them something special—something they can’t get anywhere else.
The staff and I look forward to working with you, and we welcome your submissions, suggestions, and ideas. I believe that The VanCougar has the potential to be an inspirational powerhouse for the students of Washington State University—for the future leaders of the world. I can’t wait to take on the challenge of guiding such a vital audience. Let’s go, VanCougs!
Rachel Wilson,
Editor in Chief
2017-2018