Congratulations to the Class of 2023!
Dear readers,
As I write this, I am in my last few weeks of college and my last few weeks of working at The Aggie. It’s hard to believe a year has passed since I wrote my first letter from the editor, excitedly detailing my plans for the year. And while I’ve learned from this position that much of leading an organization is simply maintenance, I am proud of the new projects I was able to either personally start or oversee this year.
My main project has been implementing a Spanish translation program. What started as one article translated into Spanish (by the incredible UC Davis student José Hernandez) has grown to up to five articles a week, thanks to the participation of Agustina Carando, a faculty member of the Spanish department, who has had her students translate articles from English to Spanish as a part of their course assignments. As I will be graduating, I have budgeted for a translation director to join our managing staff and take over this translation project next year.
Beyond this project, Katie DeBenedetti, our current managing editor, and I also prioritized refining our print and digital products to make them more visually appealing and more stylistically consistent with other UC publications. Other changes The Aggie has seen include increasing our printing numbers, with plans for further increases in the future, the creation of an “Onion”-inspired humor Instagram known as @thecaliforniagaggie for content from our humor desk and a new podcast entitled “The Aggie’s Weekly Roundup” in which our new media manager discusses top headlines from a given week.
In my senior column, I discuss how much The Aggie has given me. I feel that through these projects over the past year, I have been able to give something back to this organization that I’ve come to love so much.
At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to express my appreciation for the truly incredible people I’ve been able to work and become friends with. It has been such a pleasure to sit on Editorial Boards with Anjini, Margo, Sabrina, Calvin, Eden, Maddie, Allie, Katie, Michelle, Omar, Marlon, Brandon, Sonora, Clara, Owen, Levi and Chris. You have all taught me so much and have truly made my experience working for The Aggie worthwhile. And Katie, thank you so much for all of your work this past year. You made this job so much easier with your dedication and positivity, and I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish my goals for the paper without you. To quote Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation,” “No one achieves anything alone.”
Going forward, I cannot wait to see the work of our future editor-in-chief and managing editor Sonora Slater and Clara Fischer. They have both shown their commitment to The Aggie over the past year on the Editorial Board, and I am confident that they will make changes for the better.
This organization, which I applied to on somewhat of a whim, has become one of the best parts of my college experience. I am so honored to have served as editor-in-chief this past year, and although it is somewhat of a cliché to say, I will value the memories I’ve made, whether they be tedious three-hour layout sessions or goofing off during Ed Board, forever.
Signing off,
Sophie Dewees
Editor-in-Chief
