I remember walking in the Swanson Center for my first Piedmont 1101 course thinking wow, these are the people who I will be spending the next four years with.
How quickly that changed.
I thought I had it all figured out when I came to Piedmont. A double major in sports communications and business administration with a concentration in marketing, and I would be off to my dream career of sports marketing for a professional football team.
How quickly that changed.
Each year at Piedmont, I came in with a plan of what I thought the year would be like, and how it would prepare me for my future career. Every year, it turned out nothing like I planned. Dr. Joe Dennis is partially to blame for this, as my advisor continuously provided me with a plethora of options, none of which I could ever turn down.
So, after lots of changes, I am graduating in three years with a double major in sports communications and mass communications. I think.
Although the changes at times were stressful and confusing, I would not be who I am without them. College has taught me a lot of things, but most importantly that change is essential.
Sometimes change is unexpected and sometimes it is chosen, but every curve that life threw my way has been necessary to get me where I am today.
I started at The Roar as a sophomore with a desire for more. I had discovered a passion for journalism and took a newspaper practicum for fun. I never would have anticipated becoming the online editor just a few months later.
Former teammate and editor-in-chief at the time Hailey Johnson instilled confidence in me and taught me everything I needed to know about a newsroom. I was eager to know more and continue the legacy of the student newspaper alongside Chloe Spradlin in the fall of 2024, and on my own this spring.
I believe the stories that we have tackled as a staff during my time as a reporter for The Roar have been instrumental in creating change on Piedmont’s campus. From voicing concerns about graduation to gathering and sharing information to provide students with a better understanding of what is truly happening on campus- we have done our job as journalists.
And spurring that change is necessary.
Change is hard. Change can hurt. But I would rather live a life with change than without it.
Through the ups and downs of the college experience, Piedmont has taught me the importance of change and the importance of not just adapting to it, but embracing it.
Although I will still be here next year, it will be different. I can not thank my family, professors, friends, writers and editors enough for not only supporting me, but encouraging me to embrace the change.
It has truly been an honor to serve as editor-in-chief for The Roar, and I look forward to contributing in a different way in the future.
Thank you always,
Paige Kluba
