When I first joined Reporter, I was shy. There’s no other way to put it. It took more than one try to get myself to a general staff meeting; I just couldn’t get myself through the door. And after I finally made it, I sat on a precariously placed couch located in the furthest possible corner of the old, oddly-shaped office and didn’t say a word to anyone — unless directly spoken to — but my News Editor Joe McLaughlin. I left the moment the meetings ended and avoided contact with the staff. My voluntary antisocial behavior lasted about half a year.

Eventually, my circle of polite conversation grew to include a few fellow writers who were a little more extroverted than I; then-Managing Editor Adam Botzenhart, who usually only ever spoke to me when I needed to rewrite or clarify something; then-Features Editor Laura Mandanas, who was attempting to steal me as writer; and sometimes even former Editor in Chief Jen Loomis. Admittedly, these conversations were quite one-sided as I was usually silenced by intimidation.

It wasn’t that the editorial board at the time was evil or anything — although they were much stricter back in the day. I was merely overwhelmed by the talent that surrounded me, and well… I was rendered speechless. This is what I refer to as the editor crush. It’s kind of like when you were in high school and that person you’ve been admiring finally acknowledges your presence; you can’t help but be really awkward.

Thankfully, I got over my awkward stage, became more active in the magazine, and eventually worked my way up to where I am now. And even though all those people I namedropped ended up becoming some of my closest friends, the aftereffects of the editor crush still remain.

It’s easy to forget about the individuals who slave away and lose their weekends just to produce a magazine every week. So as I sit in the dark part-archive-part-storage room of the new Reporter office at 5:05 a.m., I’d like to dedicate this magazine to every single staff member who has contributed to the RIT publications of past and present — from the past Editors in Chief (four of whom have written for this issue) to the “lowliest” of writers to the unseen distributors. It may seem self-serving, but it is our anniversary.