Everyone will change during their time in college. That statement may seem obvious, but it took me four years, as well as a series of life lessons — some pleasant, others less so — to truly appreciate it. In some ways, very little in my time at U.Va. remained constant — I changed clubs, classes, majors and career plans more than I ever expected to, and I’m positive my first-year self could never have anticipated how different of a person I would be by the spring of my fourth year.
Nowhere is this nonlinear path reflected more than in the motley of roles I have held at The Cavalier Daily. Looking at my author page on the newspaper’s website, which contains everything from state politics coverage to baking recipes, might give some readers a sense of whiplash. As I write my last ever piece for The Cavalier Daily, I realize there is nowhere that better encapsulates my own winding path through college than my work as a writer and editor for the newspaper.
I began writing for The Cavalier Daily’s news desk in the spring of my first year, at a time when I was still finding my footing at the University. I vividly remember how excited I was when I first shuffled into the back of the newspaper’s cramped, dimly lit office for my first meeting, as well as the mix of eagerness and anxiety I felt when I got my first assignment of covering a Board of Visitors committee meeting. Writing stories about topics big and small quickly became more than just a club commitment. To me, it was a passion and a purpose, and I was committed to putting as much of myself into the newspaper as I could.
My time on the news desk shaped the early years of my college career, especially when I began editing articles as well as writing them. I made some of my best friends on The Cavalier Daily’s 135th Junior Board, and it was at those late print nights and weekly meetings where I finally felt that I had found the community I had been searching for in college.
But while it gave me some of the best memories of my life, my time as news editor also taught me a difficult lesson — you have to make time for yourself. While I loved writing articles, the editing process was often lengthy and left me feeling burned out. Similarly, the production schedule often made it difficult to give each article as much TLC as it deserved. By the fall of my third year, as my coursework was ramping up, I was juggling too many obligations in my academic and extracurricular life.
To an outside observer, and to the rational part of my mind, it was clear it was time for a change. But changing meant leaving behind hopes of higher editing positions and stepping back from the work that had defined my college career up until that point. Ultimately, after many conversations with my friends, my parents and myself, I convinced myself it was the right choice.
After nearly two years working tirelessly for the news desk, changing my role on the paper entirely was a difficult decision. But even after I had accepted it, I was left with the question of what I wanted my involvement with The Cavalier Daily to look like. At the end of 2024, that involvement came in a form I did not expect — The Cavalier Daily’s archive desk. Up until that point, maintenance of and public engagement with the nearly 100 years of print publications housed in the newspaper’s office had been handled informally by a team of only a few people. As the newspaper’s 135th term came to a close and the archivist position opened, I decided to apply, at which point my work for The Cavalier Daily changed significantly.
Compared to the often hectic experience of the news desk, my work on the archives desk was slower. The production schedule was far more predictable, giving myself and my co-archivist ample time to prepare content. Many of the projects we engaged in, such as digitizing our print archives, were multi-year efforts. Similarly, the people I worked with were largely different — with a new term came a new junior board. My responsibilities and the nature of my involvement with The Cavalier Daily had changed entirely almost overnight.
Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about my path. My work as an archivist let me discover stories about U.Va. that I never would have learned about otherwise, such as an American Civil Liberties Union suit on Grounds in the 1970s and visits from guest speakers like Maya Angelou, and bring them to the University community’s attention. Over my time on the newspaper, I found ways to include my passions for history and journalism alike in my work, and I learned how to take care of myself and balance my priorities. The various roles and terms I worked for the paper let me meet countless people, including some of the best friends I’ve had at U.Va.
If there is any lesson to be drawn from the story of my time on The Cavalier Daily, it is that change will happen, whether or not you plan for it. Ultimately, you cannot control it, and it is often hard to understand it when it happens. But what feels like failure or a mistake is often a stroke of good fortune that pushes you to evolve as a person, leading you to discover passions that are more rewarding than you ever thought possible. Life’s serendipity is unpredictable, but it made my time on The Cavalier Daily — and my college experience as a whole — into an experience that I would not trade for the world.
To the amazing writers, editors and staff of The Cavalier Daily — especially my fellow News Editor Thomas Baxter and Co-Archivist Clara Franklin — thank you for making my time at The Cavalier Daily such a rewarding experience. May life lead you in unexpected directions, and may you thrive all the more because of it.
Finn Trainer was an archivist for the 136th term, a news editor for the 135th term and a news writer and news senior associate for the 134th term of The Cavalier Daily.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Spanberger falls short of delivering on her promises for higher education
By Editorial Board | 17 hours agoThe General Assembly has since rejected these amendments, but the consequences of these delays still remain — chiefly, the further postponement of vital legislation for the governance of higher education.
PARTING SHOT: Ends & Begins
By Leila Mohajer | 18 hours agoSo, in the face of struggle, I am opting to do what I have done and will continue to do as I navigate life after graduation. I am turning to art.
PARTING SHOT: Off the record
By Evelyn Lewis | 2 days agoI had, and have, dreams for resources like “On Record” to start to rebuild conversations rooted in human connection.
