Saying Goodbye to the Daily Trojan

Photo courtesy of Emily Goldberg

As I think about what I’m going to miss most about USC, I realized that, weirdly enough, one of the things I’ll miss the most is something that also caused me the most stress. Writing the penultimate story that I’ll ever write for the Daily Trojan, I feel like I owe the DT a thank you.

Even though my work for the Daily Trojan has kept me up late at night, caused unrelenting pressure at times and kept me glued to my phone for the latest news updates, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It’s true that the life of a student journalist isn’t exactly the norm. My non-DT friends thought I was crazy for spending countless hours in the newsroom and for devoting so much time and effort on something that had no impact on my grades with an already full course schedule.

Understandably so, it’s a choice that can seem strange to other students. There was the time when I was on a bus on my way to a fraternity event while frantically texting my staff trying to find someone to cover a court case back in L.A. while someone shotgunned a beer just across the aisle. There were the instances when I skipped class to cover a story, or when, after telling my one of my friends about all the work I had done as blog editor last semester, I remember her asking, to my dismay:   

“Do you think anyone ever even reads the website?”

But no matter how many page views we get, my dedication to the Daily Trojan remains because of a group of students who care deeply about writing, investigating and sharing the stories around our campus that deserve to be told. Finding a group of students who are as passionate about something as all the Daily Trojan editors are, is something I’ll always be grateful for.  

Taking on leadership roles at the Daily Trojan has put me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. It’s taught me how to manage a group of people, to work with fellow editors even when we don’t agree and to be a part of something where people are relying on you to do your job day in and day out.

Most importantly, this paper has given me some of my best friends. All the hard work, whether it’s for a semester or all four years, creates a bond amongst the editors and writers that is unmatched. There are other organizations I’ve been involved in where people come and go, but at the DT that’s just not the case. Once you’re an editor at the DT — even if it’s just one semester — you’re kind of stuck with us, sorry. So while being on staff is about putting out a newspaper every day, it’s also about the people who make all of that possible.

It’s the end of semester celebrations, the weekends spent on retreats, the moments sitting on our balcony watching campus life move along four stories below, the Friendsgiving dinners and so much more.

So as I get ready to say goodbye to USC, some might remember me as that weirdo journalism girl stressing out on a frat party bus, but that’s something I think I can live with.

Emily Goldberg is a senior majoring in print and digital journalism. Her blog column, Diaries of a Second-Semester Senior, runs every Thursday.