Exit Letter: “Time Cast a Spell on [Me] ... I Won’t Forget [You]”

As she read my articles, Lynn Lee ’23 would sigh, bite her nails, and talk to herself. She blessed my very best work with a pause and a, “Well … this is fine.” She is the best editor I’ve ever had.

Lynn was the editor-in-chief of The Student during my sophomore fall, when Michael Mason ’25, Ethan Neuschwander ’25, and I took over the news section. All three of us were newcomers to the section, and we had few regular writers. Michael, Ethan, and I had many late nights that semester, nights that probably would have ended earlier if Lynn had been a less meticulous editor, if she had been less dedicated to the accuracy and precision of each word we published.

A few of those nights, as 2 a.m. came and went and the newsroom emptied out, I probably wished that Lynn was a little less thorough, that she would let a few of my awkward clauses or non-fact-checked sentences slide. But at the same time, I recognized then what I know now — that I was improving as a writer faster than I ever had before or have since. And I felt, as reporting assignments introduced me to new students, faculty, and staff, and as more and more people began to jokingly ask if our dinner conversations were “off the record,” that I had found my place at Amherst.

The absolute, minute-by-minute dedication that Lynn gave to The Student is just one example of what I have loved the most about working for this paper: The countless hours of hard work that generations of Amherst students have given to this institution that offers no monetary reward and little academic validation or opportunity for career advancement.

But it’s not surprising that we have all done this, because it’s so fun to do. In our small, essentially windowless newsroom, we celebrated Lynn’s 21st, ranked Goldfish flavors, and sang along to “Silver Springs.” I apologize to all editors who will never get away from the sound of my vocals.

I am sad to leave The Student, and I hope I can remember what it taught me: That working on a big project with other people, ideally a project that began many generations before you, is the best thing you can do.

I want to thank some of those other people:

Lynn, who made me a better writer and a better microeconomics student.

Michael and Ethan, who shared those late nights with me from the beginning of my news journey. You’re two of the kindest people I’ve met at Amherst.

Noor Rahman ’26, one of the best writers and editors at Amherst.

Dylan Vrins ’26, the first writer we recruited to the news section. It made me so happy watching you grow from our most dependable writer into a great editor.

Drew Stephens ’26, whose masterful command of news writing would satisfy Lynn herself.

Liam Archacki ’24, Sam Spratford ’24, Dustin Copeland ’25, Kei Lim ’25, June Dorsch ’27, Michael, and Naima Mohamed ’27, whose thousands of combined hours of work made The Student tick.

Eleanor Walsh ’25, whose kind texts on Wednesday mornings helped build my confidence long before we became friends.

Julia Gentin ’26, a great friend, an elite knower of running routes, and the best local journalist for a college newspaper in the country.

Andrew Rosin ’25, whose podcasts are probably among the most professional pieces The Student has ever produced.

Hedi Skali ’25, who helped keep a whole section of the paper alive for a year and a half.

Sonia Chajet Wides ’25, who made the newsroom the place I was most excited to be each week.