Hello, my name is Sara Loughran. I’m an incoming senior at DU, majoring in International Studies with a minor in English. I’m so excited to become the incoming Executive Editor for The Clarion. 

I’ve been writing with The Clarion since 2016, when I came in as a freshman with no experience in journalism or newswriting. I’ve been writing creatively since I was six years old, but this was a whole new world I hadn’t explored yet. Luckily, the first meeting I went to bolstered my enthusiasm, and I ended up writing an article every week during the fall quarter of my freshman year. Since then, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this newspaper, no matter what, through thick and thin. I’ve been so lucky to work as one of The Clarion’s copy editors since 2018. It helped me grow as a writer and gave me the opportunity to work with the amazing people we have on our team.

However, as a student with disabilities and chronic health problems, I found myself having to step away from The Clarion time and time again as other aspects of my life devoted my full attention. Recurrent medical leaves, doctor’s appointments and sometimes just bad days kept me from always being able to give 100 percent of my attention to this publication that I love so much. But I was really grateful that each time, the community here at The Clarion was always welcoming, caring and encouraging towards me, and I could always pick up where I left off.

I’ve loved seeing this newspaper grow over the years, and I feel like we’ve just continued to get better as a publication and a community. I’m looking forward to everything Kiana and I are planning for the upcoming year, and I can’t wait to see the amazing pieces that I know our writers will produce.

I want us to continue giving voices to people who aren’t always heard from because The Clarion did that for me, and I want to make sure I return the favor. So please, don’t be afraid to let yourself be heard. We’ll be right here to back you up.

Keep hanging in there, DU.

Sara Loughran

Executive Editor