Two years ago, we sat in the Corr Hall basement watching our predecessors, Jack Roberge and Cate McCusker, finish their last production. They cried. We cried with them. They’d given us so much advice about what to do and what not to do during our time as co-Editors-in-Chief, but on that Tuesday night, one thing stuck out — let’s not wait until 11:00 p.m. on a production night to start writing our goodbye.
So naturally, we started at 4:00 p.m. on production night. Journalists aren’t always efficient.
Now, we’re faced with the task of summing up both what these last two years have meant to us and what The Villanovan has meant to us, but more importantly, what the people we’ve met have meant to us. Where do we begin.
We would be a comma splice-ridden, grammatically inadequate paper without the diligent work of Madeline on the copy desk. It’s safe to say Madeline is the backbone of the newspaper. Beyond being a rhetorical wiz, Madeline is sneaky hilarious and her witty sarcasm makes even the blandest sentences fun. We’re not letting Madeline edit this ahead of time, so when there’s a typo, that’s the reason why.
Hayden and Natalie, our Digital editors, do so much more than make our Instagram pretty. Neither of them get quite enough credit for just how funny they are, on top of being incredible designers. The pair of them are an incredible team, and we’ve been so lucky to have them.
The face behind the photos: Graydon Paul. Not only does Graydon have an amazing eye for capturing the moment, she is still dedicated to her art from an ocean away. Graydon’s photos bring our paper to life every week. The only complaint we have about Graydon is she’s not in Corr basement with us tonight. What does Ireland have that we don’t?
Connoisseur of wings and sports Owen has been a road trip constant, as well as the wittiest Twitterer on the Villanovan staff. A go-to on the aux, Owen has fantastic taste in music and a better sense of humor. Alongside Owen is the one and only Brooke, arguably the most driven and dedicated person to her craft we’ve ever met. Brooke brings light and joy to all, especially when she orders a Caesar Salad at El Limon (it’s a no go).
We’ve been blessed to go through our tenures at The Villanovan with six incredible seniors. They aren’t just great editors — they’re forever friends.
Matt has been the life of The Villanovan’s party, sharing stories and raising vibes, even in the lowest of lows. To be a great story-teller and excellent listener is hard to balance, but somehow Matt does it effortlessly.
Jackie and Bella are a model of friendship and the greatest success of our tenures. The ultimate black cat, golden retriever pair, Jackie and Bella never fail to make us laugh uncontrollably every Tuesday night.
Sarah has grown with us and been there from the beginning, even when thousands of miles away. Getting to know her even through her TikTok fame has been incredible (AND it WAS kind of classist). Despite having 837 things on her to-do list, Sarah never fails to make you feel like the most important item on her agenda.
Going outside the box to hire Lydia midway through the year was one of our best ideas, and we’re so grateful we know her, even just for her lunchtime stories alone — Lydia lore, if you will. Lydia’s smile is infectious and her unhinged humor is the highlight of every Tuesday.
Chloe is the greatest. If Chloe’s there, you know it’s going to be a good time. The queen of the tailgate and ALWAYS the funniest person in the room, Chloe’s energy and spunk is unmatched. Chloe can effortlessly bring a room of strangers together by making them die laughing.
Letting go is never easy, especially when you love something so much. It’s made a little easier for the two of us knowing we’re leaving The Villanovan in the capable hands of Emma, Arden and Hannah next year. Spring editors Arden and Emma have already proven themselves as a strong team, and when Hannah is back in the fall, we know she’ll bring the new editors into the welcoming environment she’s helped create for us. We know we’ve made the right choice, and we couldn’t be more proud of the three of them.
No matter how much writing and editing we’ve done, there’s no way to sum up what The Villanovan has meant to us. Our sophomore-year selves couldn’t have imagined the depth of love we could have for an organization and the people who shape it. This newspaper has been more than pages of Baskerville font; it’s been our motivation, our lives, our baby, a home and a family for our entire Villanova careers. We’ve loved every minute of it — even the horrifying, ninety-plus minutes the morning after our first production when we found out we never sent the edition to the printer.
It’s been everything to us. We’re so grateful for these two years in charge, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
And now, off to find new personalities.
Vivi and Colin out.
