The first Monday of my freshman year, I did what felt like a no brainer. I came to The Denver Clarion. And honestly, I was terrified. 

I went straight to sports and picked up the coverage of a soccer game. That weekend, I showed up to the field about half an hour early. I remember looking around, thinking “that’s weird, there’s no one here.”

I sat on the bleachers for about ten minutes before checking the schedule again and realizing I had the wrong day. There wouldn’t be anyone covering soccer that week. I thought it would be a disaster. 

I sat there on the bleachers for another ten minutes and thought, “maybe this isn’t for me.”

But I mustered the courage to come back to The Clarion. The next Monday, I came into the meeting, apologies ablaze for my mistake. To my surprise, I was not grilled for missing the game. 

“It’s all good. I’m glad you came back,” then Executive Editor Riley Laub told me. 

In the sports section, Josie LeCompte was just as forgiving. 

“No worries. Do you want to cover soccer this week?” she asked. 

That’s when I realized what student journalism was really about: developing an understanding with a given patience and using it to give each other the space to become better writers, photographers, reporters and better working professionals. 

These parameters make for strong, honest journalism. It’s my goal to share that work with as many people as possible. 

Because only in the pursuit of the truth do we stumble upon accountability. 

In times like these, strong, honest journalism is as important as ever. Whether it be nationally or within our campus, leaders hold the cards to mislead a community. As Lee Bollinger argues in his book, “University: A Reckoning” and in his recent talk at DU, the press is the fourth branch of government. It is up to us to check that power. 

With this essence of student journalism in mind, I want to nurture a space where it thrives. I want The Clarion to be a place where students want to do a variety of the hard, fun and exciting work that goes into it. I want them to find unique ways to do it. 

Before moving on to the future, I want to acknowledge those who helped me get here. While there could never be room for everyone who helped me, I feel the need to mention a special few. 

Alyssa Avila and Anna Neumann, it goes without saying that your leadership has given The Clarion, the entire university, something to be proud of. But personally, your mentorship has given me the tools to feel prepared for this position. 

As editors, The Clarion will miss you greatly. As friends, I’ll be missing you on the late Monday print nights. 

To Josie, who was my Sports Editor as a freshman and gave me no choice than to take my first position on the staff when she went abroad, thank you for giving me the space to grow. 

Our current staff, Lina, Micah, Maddux, Theodora, Z, Weston, Delaney and Andrew, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together. It’s been a pleasure working alongside you. 

To next year’s staff, Z, Theodora, Weston, Andrew, Lars, Tylah, Noon, Ella, Madison and Eliza, I cannot wait to see what we do together. You are all incredibly talented journalists with the potential to be phenomenal leaders. 

I know we can do something special with this paper; all that’s left now is to do it. So let’s go do it when it matters most. 

With thanks, 

Nick Allen

Editor-in-Chief Incoming