When I first joined The Observer as a second-semester first-year at Saint Mary’s College, I never imagined that The Observer office in the basement of South Dining Hall would become my second home. Yet, over the past two and a half years, The Observer has become one of the most significant parts of my life. Some would say that it is one of my most prominent personality traits as a college student. So, as I write my final Inside Column with the Photo Editor byline, I would like to look back at some of my favorite memories of being a part of The Observer.
I can think of the first one covering the Fiesta Bowl with Sports Editor Mannion McGinley, Assistant Managing Editor Colin Capece, and Assistant Sports Editor Aidan Thomas. This trip was one of the best experiences I have had with The Observer. Adventuring around Scottsdale, Arizona, and sharing laughs and quality conversations with some of the best people was the best way to start 2022. Despite the Irish loss, it is a memory I will cherish forever.
The second was when I covered the Camping Bowl my sophomore year. I traveled to Orlando, Florida, with then-Assistant Managing Editor Charlotte Edmonds. That bowl game was the first time I had photographed a real football game. Being in that stadium taking photos for the first time was surreal. Seeing my images printed on paper put the biggest smile on my face.
The third core memory was when I worked as my first senior Insider. For this Insider edition, we normally print photos and stories of every single senior football player. I was assigned to look through all of the football photos and find pictures for each player. And, let me tell you, it was the hardest thing I had to do while working production, to this day. To paint you a picture, it was getting to be about 4 a.m., and then-Systems Administrator Stephen Hannon was working sports production. After editing around 30 photos in total, we needed just one more. This picture was of number 80 of the graduating senior class on the 2019 team. After hours of searching, we found one. He was spotted on the sidelines of a photo. It was not the best picture to print, but we had no other choice. So, we ran the blurry image of number 80 in the senior Insider issue. To this day, when I think about it, I just can’t help but laugh about how tired Stephen and I were and how hard we laughed when we finally found that blurry sideline photo.
For my last memory, I will be traveling back to The Observer’s office on a Sunday in October of 2019. I was pulled into Kelli Smith’s (2019-2020 Editor-in-Chief) office and was asked to take over the photo department. At that moment, I didn’t know how long I would be managing this fantastic department. Almost two and a half years later, I am still here and struggling to let go. I know the department will be in great hands, but I just can’t help to think about how much of my college career is dedicated to The Observer. I just never thought it was going to end.
In a couple of weeks, I have to let go. I can’t wait to graduate and look back at all the fantastic people I have met and the fond memories I have. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the people at The Observer and the experiences I have had. So, I will save the rest of my thoughts for our commencement edition for graduation season in May. But I would like to thank all of the current and past Editorial Boards I have worked with for giving me the opportunity to continue doing what I love. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for The Observer.
Love,
Allison <3
