If you know me at all, you know I’m really bad at goodbyes, especially right now while I’m still wearing the rose-tinted glasses of graduation nostalgia. Maybe that’s why this article took me so long to write — it’s the ultimate goodbye to the CU Independent, my favorite place in the world, where I met my favorite people and did my favorite thing: journalism.
It’s also the place where I discovered just how much journalism actually means to me. That’s hard to let go of.
I’ve written dozens of introductions to this article, and I’ve found myself starting to talk about the achievements this paper has led me to. But every time I try to write about the places I’ve landed bylines or the internships I’ve completed, it falls flat. I think that’s because — for once — those things don’t matter to me right now. I don’t want to write about who I am today, even if I do have the CUI to thank for making me this person.
I want to write about who I was before all of those things, and before the CUI.
Four years ago, I came to college completely clueless.
I’d taken one single journalism elective during my junior year of high school, and although I fell in love with the idea of being a journalist during that class, I graduated without any idea of how to actually make that happen. All I knew was that I liked to write, I liked politics and “All The President’s Men” was the greatest movie I’d ever seen in my entire life.
The day my best friend and longtime reporting partner’s dad called us “a real Woodward and Bernstein,” I was so proud that I cried.
But that happened a few years later. We’re still in the beginning of the story — the part where I knew nothing and absolutely no one would compare me to a Pulitzer Prize winner.
My first two stories for the CUI were a trainwreck. One — an in-depth look into our university’s relationship with local Indigenous tribes — was never even published. The other was a short piece covering a speech that former Chancellor Philip DiStefano gave on campus. Somehow, wires were crossed and the chancellor thought that he and I were to have a personal one-on-one interview after the speech. I, on the other hand, thought my only job was to hide in the shadows of the media staging area and not step on anyone’s expensive camera gear.
That was when I learned to always show up ready for personal interviews.
But what I really learned that day was that my former editor believed in me. Enough to think I could handle a personal interview with our university’s highest-ranking official during the first week of my freshman year. That confidence is the real gift the CUI gave me.
This place has made me believe in myself. And I, in turn, will always believe in the CUI. But it hasn’t always been easy.
We’re completely student-run and — other than being a Registered Student Organization — independent from the University of Colorado Boulder. That’s a fact I’ve proudly boasted for the past four years, especially during my reign as editor-in-chief. It means that this entire paper is run 100% by students, all of whom juggle other internships, schoolwork, jobs and countless responsibilities. Everything, from this website’s tumultuous upkeep to all of our reporting, to our advertising and on-campus events, is in the hands of people who can’t even legally rent a car.
I’ve worked with other student media outlets across the country, and I’ve come to understand that that’s rare. We’re working with a unique lack of oversight here at the CUI and it makes us special. Our reporters can handle anything that’s thrown at them, because around here, saying “no” isn’t an option.
But it also means that, sometimes, we need a little extra support from wherever we can get it.
When I stepped into the role of editor-in-chief two years ago, I vowed to leave the CUI better than I found it. I’m proud to say that I most certainly did, and my successor this past year continued to make it even better. I know for a fact that our new leadership team will continue to improve this organization that I hold so dear. I believe in them as my predecessors always believed in me.
So, as I wrap up this goodbye and leave this place for good, here is my final attempt to help them and this paper one last time.
Please support the CUI — and all local journalism, for that matter — in any way you can. Whether that’s monetarily, or just by reading and sharing articles. This work is fulfilling, spiritually satisfying, thrilling and a host of other dream-job qualities. But some stories can be gut-wrenching, tiring and hard to write. Every reader who has ever sent me an email of support or encouragement has a screenshot in a special album on my phone. Consider supporting our writers that way — a little love goes further than you think to get through the tough days, especially in an independent newsroom like ours without built-in support.
Know that whatever you do to help out, you’re not just supporting a college newspaper. You’re supporting a student with big dreams that feel a little closer to reality every day.
And thank you, CUI. For all the frustration and tears, the money I’ve spent buying newsroom snacks and website upgrades, the AP style rules I struggled to memorize and everything in between.
I’m your proudest alum.
Contact former CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Jessica Sachs at jessicasachs0429@gmail.com
