I have been asked many questions over my four years on The Cavalier Daily.
Some questions I could answer easily — “How many reads did we get on that article?” “What is the username and password to this account?” “Can you write this Instagram caption?”
Some questions I could not answer as easily — “Why is Notion not letting us onboard new staffers?” “Why are the cartoons not on the website?” “Why did FileZilla crash and lose the newspaper en route to the printer?”
However, the question I received the most, the one that I struggled the most to put into words, always came from people outside of The Cavalier Daily — “Why do you do this?”
After attending a small all-girls school in Texas for 14 years and serving as editor-in-chief of the yearbook, I went from knowing everyone on campus to feeling insignificant in the back row of a 500-person lecture hall. Needing an outlet for the skills I picked up in high school and wanting to connect to the vast community around me, I decided to join the production staff of The Cavalier Daily and help design the biweekly print issues of the newspaper. Perhaps this would be the solution to making my newfound surroundings — excuse me, Grounds! — less foreign.
My first-ever shift, I arrived at the doors of the office 10 minutes late because I could not for the life of me find the stairs to the Newcomb basement. The door opened, releasing a wave of popcorn and mildew, and I stepped into the depths of print night. Perhaps it was the Managing Board members who smiled at me, or the photo editors who actually asked for my opinion on a decision for the cover, but that night I discovered a sacred second space that would offer me asylum for the next four years. Looking back, that initial introduction was just a glimpse of the supportive and dynamic community in store for me.
After one semester, some encouragement and an uncontested election, I found myself as a newly minted production editor on the Junior Board. Walking into my first JB meeting, I was both nervous and excited. Everyone around me seemed so experienced, giving me complete imposter syndrome. When the production desk merged with graphics, my role expanded to design editor, despite having no artistic background. It was a challenge, but one that pushed me to develop new skills, adapt quickly and gain a real sense of self-sufficiency along the way.
The revolving door of characters I met that day — and every Sunday, A1 meeting and print night following that — welcomed me in as an equal, becoming my mentors, confidants and closest friends. I met third-years who never sleep, second-years with squirrel obsessions and fellow first-years just trying to figure it out like me. We came from all over, pursued different majors and held opposing opinions, but we were bound by this meeting time and a common love for The Cavalier Daily.
So, design editor turned into assistant operations manager, and assistant operations manager turned into operations manager. Articles were published, issues were printed, newsletter subscribers grew and all the while I received the same question — why do you do this?
Only those on The Cavalier Daily understand what it is like to get life-changing advice from Nate, or how Grace is strikingly honest without dealing any blows. Only those on The Cavalier Daily have witnessed how Naima leads with kindness and strength, or how special it is to make Charlie laugh.
Only people who have experienced a print night could know that Lexie makes spending hours in a room with no windows feel like a walk in the park, that Mariam and Sarah provide the best company and Adaire and Leon always match your energy. Likewise, only people who have been part of The Cavalier Daily will understand how infectious Leigh’s dedication and smile are, or how Olivia’s patience makes learning to lead feel less daunting.
During my tenure on The Cavalier Daily, people asked me many questions. Sometimes I had an answer, sometimes I did not. However, now I can confidently answer the question, “Why do you do this?” In my search to make sense of Grounds, I discovered something even better — a community.
Looking back, the answer has been abundantly clear all along. I did it for the people.
Honor Wood was the Operations Manager of the 135th term, the Assistant Operations Manager of the 134th term and a design editor for the 133rd term.
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