Seniors reflect on their time with the Globe

Hannah Walden, Co-Copy Desk Chief

How can I summarize four years worth of experience and memories in an organization I care so deeply about? How do I summarize four years worth of friendship that I’ve had with the current and former folks at The Globe? It seems almost impossible that my time as a Pioneer and as a member of The Globe is almost to an end. I feel so old thinking of the same old clichés that our parents say about how fast time flies. 

For the entirety of my time as a Pioneer, I have called The Globe my family and The Globe office (whether it is the 7th floor of Lawrence Hall or the old Starbucks in Conestoga) my home. I was so easily welcomed into this organization, and I find it very difficult to say goodbye. 

I have learned so much and bettered my own writing ability through every piece I’ve written and layout I’ve edited. Being a part of The Globe has given me a wonderful experience that I couldn’t have had in the classroom.

I urge all students who have a passion for this industry to apply for next semester’s staff. I hope that the experiences you have and the friends you make at The Globe are as worthwhile to you as they have been to me. 

The world keeps spinning and The Globe keeps publishing, and students come and go with each passing year. Now that it’s my turn to go, I wish for that globe to stop turning and to enjoy the last moments while I can. 

Editing The Globe remotely doesn’t feel the same as it did in the office with the people I care about, and I feel robbed of my final weeks of working in that newsroom before leaving and starting someplace else. 

For the underclassmen that are going to carry the torch next semester, I’m proud of you and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Keep working hard, cover the quote wall, keep making that newsroom a fun and exciting place to work and please, soak up every wonderful memory before it’s your turn to sit where I’m sitting and write your senior goodbye. 

 

Nathan Vrablic, Business Manager

I have been at The Globe for a year and a half now, and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. Being anadvertising/public relations major, I originally came to The Globe for my practicum during the second semester of my junior year where I was a copy desk editor. When I got into my senior year, I became a co-copy desk chief and from there I became The Globe’s Business Manager. 

While I don’t think I did a good job as The Globe’s business manager, I am glad that I did it and I hope I didn’t upset Dara or The Globe in any way. 

Being the business manager has made me realize a few things. One, I really like advertising analytics and two, I don’t like dealing with advertisers. Being yelled at or trying to convince people that YES we do run advertisements and then getting ghosted by local businesses is not fun. I know that going through this experience helped to shape me and my future career goals. 

Over the year and a half I have been with The Globe, I have met so many unique and awesome people who I am thankful to get to know better. I have learned so much about myself and my career goals than ever before. 

Being a part of The Globe is an amazing opportunity and I urge anyone to look into it. Lastly, I’m thankful for Carley Bonk (former EIC) for allowing me to be here in the first place and I want to especially thank Dara Collins for letting me stay for my final year.

 

Emma Federkeil, Features/A&E Photo Editor

I didn’t get involved with The Globe until my senior year at Point Park because I was always afraid that there wouldn’t be a place for me there. A lot of my friends were already a part of this organization, but for some reason, I just didn’t feel like I would belong. 

In the spring of 2019, I took a trip to the United Kingdom. The girl who was set to become the next Editor-in-Chief of The Globe was also on the trip, and she became one of my best friends. From the start of the following semester, I got to spend more time doing what I love, taking photos and being with my friends. I believe that my senior year was made better because of my time with The Globe. It really means something when you get to see something you did printed in a physical form. 

In my four years at Point Park University, this year has been the best year of The Globe that I have seen because everyone on staff is dedicated to the stories they are telling. I think the reason why it was so successful this year was because we had fun. Some student organizations are either all fun with little work or all work with little fun that no one wants to be a part of them. This year at The Globe, there was a perfect balance, and it showed through the success of the paper. 

I will forever miss being the one to annoy Dara and Allison while they try to get work done.

 

Nicole Pampena, Online Editor (December 2019 graduate)

I remember when I got the email from Josh Croup (EIC 2016) saying I would be a copy editor for The Globe my fall semester as a freshman. At the time, joining the staff wasn’t just something that was going to push me forward in my major and career. As a commuter who was worried about making friends, this would be what introduced me to some of the people that not only made college so great but also remain some of my closest friends to this day. 

That first week I was too nervous to speak up and take a pitch, and I somehow didn’t realize copy editing would be immediately after the pitch meeting so I missed that too. The editors and veterans seemed so much older and intimidating. 

Over three and a half years, that person afraid to take a pitch went on to cover everything from a presidential inauguration to a Golden Quill Award-winning sports feature. That person eventually became an editor herself and learned that we all share one collective brain cell and are nothing to be intimidated by.  

I could go on and on about the opportunities and the experience The Globe provides, but what will always stick with me is things like the twisted stuff we said that ended up on the quote wall, laughing with the people still in the newsroom at 2 a.m., and every cursed image we hang on the walls. 

From day one, and now up through all of us moving forward with our lives, The Globe provided me a place to belong, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

 

Dara Collins, Editor-in-Chief

I thought about a million ways to start this, and I couldn’t think of one single sentence that could do this reflection any justice. How do I put my current thoughts and feelings — that truly haven’t fully registered that my time at The Globe is at its end — in a short, less-than-300-word mini-article?

I, like Nicole, remember receiving an email from Josh Croup that I would be a copy editor in the fall of my freshman year. I went to the pitch meeting and went back to my dorm, also like Nicole, not knowing copy editing happened immediately after.

I quit after about two hours of editing.

It’s comical to think that I’m now finishing up as the captain of this ship.

During my time at Point Park, I went from a copy editor (kind of) to staff writer to co-sports editor to Editor Elect to Editor-in-Chief — and I’ve loved every minute of it.

The Globe has provided me with some of my best journalistic experience as well as many headaches and late nights. It’s also given me some of my best friends and mentors.

I’m so proud, and I also admire every single person I have ever worked with on this staff. I’m so grateful for every person I have emailed, called, interviewed and photographed for the sake of student journalism.

Every staff member, but especially the staff from my tenure, will hold a special place in my heart far after my time is done here in Pittsburgh.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and I’m so excited to see what The Globe grows into from a distance.

 

Allison Schubert, Sports Editor

I have started and restarted this piece six times. This will be my seventh rendition.

Throughout my time at Point Park, I have been involved in more clubs and organizations than I can count, have completed projects I never ever thought I would be able to take on and have held internships and executive board positions that I only dreamed about. 

Only one thing in that time has remained a constant: The Globe.

I came in my freshman year as a copy editor, sat at the features desk for a while, then moved on to my truest of loves, the sports desk.

For the past two years, I have put my heart and soul into that sports section and I am so incredibly proud of the work my writers and I put into that small but mighty piece of this paper every week.

When I think of the things that I am going to miss when I graduate, The Globe is always at the top of that list. The people, the writers, the stories, the atmosphere — it is truly unlike any other organization on campus.

Students see the finished product on stands around campus every Wednesday, but they do not see the countless hours spent in The Globe office laughing, stressing, crying and producing the best possible version of the paper that week. That’s the part that makes it special.

I am a writer by trade, but I can’t even begin to think of the words that will accurately describe the amount of love and gratitude I have for this little paper and the people it has introduced me to.

To The Globe, thank you.

To the class of 2020, we did it.

 

Jake Berlin, Staff Writer

The Globe is more than a student newspaper. The Globe is an institution which serves, informs and represents an entire community. Pioneers and Pittsburghers alike are fortunate to have this publication in the city. 

Respect for journalism is not fostered overnight. A successful campus newspaper needs support from students to administrators and alumni—and we have built a culture at Point Park which reflects that broad passion for student news. 

Not long ago, our campus facilities looked much different—much more delicious, one could say. The Center for Media Innovation (CMI) was a Nathan’s hot dog shop. The Globe and WPPJ offices were a Starbucks coffee shop. President Hennigan wisely believed that “food for thought” was more important than food court offerings, and the transformation to student media spaces began. 

Andy Conte was selected as the Director of the CMI with his extensive background in journalism and innovative media. The CMI was used for classes taught by esteemed professors ranging from Helen Fallon to Gina Catanzarite. Other instructors with histories of published work, such as Steve Halvonik, Robin Cecala and Bill Moushey saw their students collaborating in the CMI space and creating content that could rival any other school in the region. 

As talented and inspirational as the faculty and staff are, the true beauty of student journalism has been exactly that: the students. 

The Globe has seen unprecedented work under the leadership of its recent editors. Carley Bonk, Dara Collins and now Jordyn Hronec have cultivated teams which strive for relevant, important reporting. This has been our outlet for student voices challenging campus security, tuition rates and student government—and nearly everyone on campus reads it and listens.  

Other schools see their newspapers sitting on racks with minimal student interest. At Point Park, The Globe is a weekly fixture. This is no accident. The students, faculty and staff—with the support of administrators—believe in honest, timely, informative journalism.  

I am honored to have been a staff writer for The Globe and been a journalist throughout my time as a Point Park student. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way. 

To the underclassmen—The Communications (and Theatre) departments are the best in Pittsburgh. Don’t take it for granted. Never stop asking your friends that ubiquitous Pioneer question: “Did you see The Globe this week?”