By Aleksandra Sidorova
For the past seven semesters, it has been my duty to share news with this campus. You’ve probably already read through the section I’ve run for four semesters, but here goes one last piece of news: My name is appearing in Cardinal Points, SUNY Plattsburgh’s student-run newspaper, for the final time.
As an international student, I could have chosen any university in the United States, but SUNY Plattsburgh called out to me through its student newspaper.
Sure, the weekly publication’s awards and Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame status were attractive, but I could sense that it was the product of dedication and passion that transcended anything someone could accomplish on their own. “Cardinal Points” and “single-handedly” don’t belong within a mile of each other.
I knew I would get involved as soon as I could: I wrote my first story for Cardinal Points in my second week in college and it’s an addiction that both supported and challenged me for three and a half years. What truly surprised me, though, was that my niche was news.
Russians don’t typically grow up considering journalism as a career path. It makes sense — parents aren’t likely to recommend a profession that, if you’re too good at it, could land you behind bars or end your life of “natural causes” before you start graying. Instead, journalism has to find you.
I realized I wanted to pursue journalism when my school introduced a short-lived student newspaper club. We produced only a handful of issues, but enough for me to catch fire. Suddenly, my writing skills that shone in essays but failed in fictional endeavors mattered beyond the silo of academia. All that other slightly scary stuff? We’re journalists; it’s an occupational hazard.
Cardinal Points has given me everything we promise students when we promote participation in the paper at involvement fairs and class visits. My writing and photography improved, I see familiar faces everywhere I go and my portfolio has no shortage of work samples. What we don’t tell you, though, is that through this perseverance, you also find yourself.
It’s been a pleasure and an honor to nurture this paper after my class inherited it from the editors of yore. But now, I am excited to see what the next batch of capable and dedicated storytellers will bring, and endlessly curious to see what my life would look like when I am no longer part of this weekly ritual.
I could ponder infinitely where I would be without this campus or Cardinal Points, but I don’t play that game. I share only what I know to be true, and that is that I have flourished here.
SUNY Plattsburgh, thank you for supporting our work, engaging with us and helping us tell your stories. Please keep that energy up as the board once again turns the page.
