My first experience with The Cavalier Daily was not how it would seem a future editor-in-chief would begin their time.
I arrived to the Fall 2014 information session 30 minutes late, sat in the very back of Newcomb Theatre and had no idea what was going on for most of the time. I ultimately decided to join as a copy editor and went to my three hour shift once a week.
I never dreamed or initially thought that I would eventually become editor-in-chief.
One of the best parts of The Cavalier Daily is that if you work hard and show a strong level of dedication, you can move up in management. There are many other organizations on Grounds where it’s more about how popular you are or who you know, but The Cavalier Daily simply doesn’t follow that standard.
I ultimately decided to run to be editor-in-chief because I felt like I could make a difference in the paper, and I wanted to change the way in which we operated and functioned. I had many lofty goals, and I was proud that we were able to attain almost all of them.
During my term we doubled our readership and social media reach, amended our Board of Directors structure and bylaws for increased financial stability, redesigned The Cavalier Daily’s website and logos, created an online magazine called abcd magazine, reformed our media kit to print a physical paper weekly, partnered with The Huffington Post’s “Listen to America” event tour and created the first ever Mid-Atlantic College Newspaper conference where former Gov. Terry McAuliffe spoke to the attendants.
I can still remember every single one of these events occurring, and how much time and energy I spent making sure they happened. However, I couldn’t have done all of these things alone. It took an amazing team of 250 staffers, 30 Junior Board members, four Managing Board members and one business manager to make all of these things successful. Every single person at The Cavalier Daily matters, and all of their work is what makes The Cavalier Daily exceptional.
Being editor-in-chief, CEO and president of the No. 10 college newspaper in the country and the No. 2 public college newspaper in country means devoting well over 40 hours per week, and always looking like you’ve haven’t slept since you came to the University. Although it’s nice to now be able to go to bed at a regular time, there are many days where I miss being a part of and leading such an amazing organization.
I recently had the honor of being recognized by the Z Society for my time as editor-in-chief through which many friends wrote in about their experiences being on the paper with me. I was truly touched by what they all said and how they will remember me. I’m really blessed to have all of them in my life, and I’ll cherish their friendships for years to come. I want to thank all of them for all the great work they put into The Cavalier Daily every day, and for making my time on The Cavalier Daily the best part of my college experience.
A line at the bottom of the recognition by the Z Society stuck with me — “The joy is in the journey.”
A lot of times journeys can be difficult in the moment, but I have found that it’s always important to look at what made the journey worth the struggle. I told the entering Managing Board that there’ll be a lot of headaches and heartaches when leading The Cavalier Daily. But I reminded them that for all the bad times there are going to be an equal amount of good times, and those good times are what make working on the paper so rewarding.
When times get tough, remember the times that brought you up.
P.S. I would like to thank my predecessor Dani Bernstein for being a role model as editor-in-chief, and my successor Tim Dodson for taking on the challenge of being editor-in-chief of one of the best college newspapers in the country.
Mike Reingold was the 128th Editor-in-Chief and the 127th Assistant Managing Editor of The Cavalier Daily. He is currently the Vice President of The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association.
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