The outside of Saint Xavier’s Media Center The Xavierite
A little over two years ago, back in fall of 2022, I learned about the existence of the school’s newspaper, The Xavierite. At this point, I did not have much journalistic writing experience, and I did not know I would go on to add Media Communication as a second major. Yet I would have a class that semester that would change everything.
The class was with Peter Kreten, a Communications professor who oversees The Xavierite as well as the Media Center. He mentioned that they needed writers, and I have a passion for writing just about anything.
So I went to a meeting and started writing. At first I did not know what to focus on, but I would soon find a home in the Features section of the newspaper.
Journalistic writing has several differences from other forms of writing, so it was hard to get used to at first. However, the staff of the paper treat each person with kindness and are always there to provide support and guidance. This made transitioning and finding my journalistic voice much easier.
I soon embarked on a journey of exploring new coffee shops and restaurants near campus. Several of my articles were based around this idea of providing recommendations to students so that they could explore the surrounding areas of Saint Xavier University.
This opportunity allowed me to explore more areas myself and find spots that would become their own homes to me off-campus. It gave me something to look forward to each week.
On top of writing recommendations for places, I would find myself reporting on movies, books, and interviewing new people.
A key moment for me was back in 2023 when I interviewed Rachael Giantomasso, the owner of Grounded Coffee Bar in Frankfort, Illinois. This was the first time I really reached out to someone unfamiliar; I had the goal of finding a powerful woman to speak to during Women’s History Month.
This would lead me down a road of interview articles that has changed the trajectory of my writing. I found a powerful way of storytelling that would give me more interesting ideas for The Xavierite and lead me to interview athletes for a separate online blog in my free time.
Not only was I going out of my comfort zone and finding unique things to write about, but I also felt myself surrounded by a community of people who had similar passions. The Media Center became a comfortable space on campus filled with people who genuinely cared about each other and the work we were doing.
Sam Alcala, one of the Features reporters, shared similar thoughts.
Alcala noted, “The biggest thing that made writing for The Xavierite a good experience was truly the people. There’s a sense of community you can’t find easily and it really pushes you to want to improve. It’s been a great experience to develop my writing, too. There’s always a lot of feedback and, generally, it’s a great space for growth.”
Growth has been a common theme for all of the staff members of The Xavierite.
Being a writer here has helped me better my time management, organizational, and communication skills. Meeting deadlines was difficult on top of other responsibilities, but it was well worth it. There were also moments of criticism that I am grateful for; I would not have grown in my writing if it weren’t for this consistent feedback.
Additionally, it has been a pleasure being able to take on the role of the Features editor this past semester and overlook the articles for the section.
I built stronger connections with my peers and shared the growing passion I have for journalism. I also continued to learn, which is something I find extremely valuable.
Editing and commenting on articles added another layer to the experience instead of just writing them. It gave me insight on what to look for, what makes for a good story, and so much more.
I would not trade these experiences for anything.
With such pleasant memories to recount, The Xavierite will be one of my hardest goodbyes as I graduate this coming May. Writing for such an influential organization has taught me so much about the world of news writing and has helped me discover more about myself.
I know similar things can be said for other staff members. As another year comes to an end, I know the future for The Xavierite is an exciting one – and I’m proud to have been a part of its story.