As I write this amid a week-long post-leaving-the-house bender, I feel a noticeable void. I didn’t come to SU to drink and party. I came here to grab a lottery ticket to try and break into the sports journalism world. That love for journalism soon turned into a desire to lead, which I proudly did at The Daily Orange this past year as its managing editor. It was grueling, stressful work, and though I was sad to go, I couldn’t wait to leave editing behind.

But when I realized my new best option on a weekday night was being a degenerate — instead of walking into a raucous and passionate house every day to produce the best student-driven journalism in the country with so many peers and friends that I love — it didn’t sit right. It’s a lesson to always appreciate the good times when the times are still good. I made a family at The D.O., and it’s a damn tough group of people to leave. Reality still hasn’t sunk in.

Thank you to everyone I’ve come across here in any way, shape or form. I’ve never been this welcomed into a new environment, and I’ve never had more people show their utmost belief and trust in me. You’ve all given me purpose in life, and I hope to make you all proud one day.

It’s been the honor of a lifetime to work with so many wonderful people at this incredible paper. Here’s a (very, very long) thank-you to them:

Stephanie Wright: After you hired me, I spent the entire summer regretting it. I literally yelled and screamed about how stupid this job was going to be on a daily basis, Aiden and Zak can attest. I just wanted to write. I didn’t know anything about news or opinion or how to be a leader. Fast forward to August, when we went and got a recess coffee to finally meet for the first time. Within 30 minutes, I was telling you a story about how I ripped my pants during a class in high school. We shared plenty of embarrassing stories that day. And that’s when I realized two things. 1. They let two complete idiots run the paper. 2. We were going to become best friends. It’s safe to say after a year of hard work, we most definitely are best friends. I’ve never met someone who puts more trust into me on a daily basis. I didn’t come into this job as the most confident person in the world. But having you by my side made everything a lot easier. I’m more confident and assured in everything I do because I see how you work — and you work like an absolute baller. What matters even more though is the relationship we were able to build this past year. It’s pretty insane to think about some of my jokes you’ve laughed at, and some of the ridiculous bits of lore we’ve shared with each other. I would say that I’m going to miss that, but I don’t really see us leaving management as a sad moment. I’m proud of what we accomplished from start to finish. And I leave here without any regrets, knowing that I’ve met a lifelong friend.

Aiden Stepansky: It was unreal being in management with you this past semester. And I would have that same feeling even if you weren’t already one of my best friends. I seriously don’t think I’ve seen anyone work harder to learn and improve on a daily basis than you. You are a relentless reporter, a creative writer and a fantastic visionary when coming up with story angles and new digital ideas to implement in our paper. It was so awesome to see you crush every aspect of the football beat in the fall, and I can’t wait to be alongside you again for the ride next year. We have plenty of work left to do. But, I will dearly miss our sessions shooting the sh*t in the management office. It takes me back to when you were a rowing beat writer and I was a softball writer and we had no idea who we were. Funny to see how three years later, those two guys were helping run the paper while spending hours in the management office making childish jokes. Stephanie, I’m sorry for all the sh*t you had to put up with from Aiden and I this semester. But I think the work we accomplished made up for it.

Zak Wolf: Here’s a story I’ve never told before. I used to think I never stood a chance at this place when I saw some freshman dude with a thousand Twitter followers was already on a beat and pitching stories during Sunday sports meetings. I figured that I probably wasted my life in high school, and would never be able to catch up to other people with experience. For so long, my motivation here was to catch Zak Wolf. I f*cked off on school and said bye to my social life because of it. But, man, once we actually became friends instead of acquaintances, I was so glad to realize that my mindset should have never been about competition. It should have been about iron sharpening iron. I’ve taken so much from your reporting and writing skills, especially during our men’s soccer beat era, and that helped set a foundation for me in journalism. I hope I eventually did the same for you. We took very different, yet similar, paths in our in-house journeys here. And I think they paid off extremely well for the both of us. It’s an honor to be able to cook feature stories and cover games with one of my best friends, and I can’t wait to make a lot more memories with you in the future. Also, there’s no one I’d have rather spent a summer in Chatham with. I could go on literally forever, but we can get sappy in-person over some beers sometime.

Justin Girshon: Where do I even start? I used to think you were some entitled frat kid who would never be focused enough on journalism. Now, you sit here today as the best sports editor I’ve ever seen. You like to party and have fun, like we all do. But when I really got to know you, I realized you are one of the most dedicated human beings this campus has to offer. It’s actually your laid-back, fun-loving personality that made me realize you’d beat the allegations you didn’t work hard enough. You bring a casual vibe to the house that balances out a lot of stress that fills the room. But when it’s time to work, no one goes harder. Your stories dominated analytics for a reason. There’s no one better at this paper at coming up with and executing engaging storytelling angles than you. I realized that when we were in Storrs last year covering Paige and Geno, and I’m glad to see that’s remained the same over this past year. I won’t get too sappy, because we’ve got a lot of work left to do, but it was an honor seeing you run the sports section this semester. I love you bro. Shrink the game.

Kendall Luther: Every time you ask me a question or for a word of advice about being in management, I think to myself: why is someone so much better than me asking me for help? Kendall, you are way too humble. You’re a generationally talented journalist, editor and leader. I cannot wait to see all you accomplish running this place. It’s going to be tough work, but there’s no one who’s more prepared to be EIC. Again, you don’t need my help, I’ll always be here if you need it, though! I hope you have a relaxing summer. But, something tells me it won’t be.

Rose Boehm: Everything I just said about Kendall can be said about you. When I found out you wanted to be the next managing editor, I was so ecstatic. There’s not a better person to help foster a community in-house than you, and there’s not many better writers out there to help teach the next generation here. You have such a bubbly personality, and there’s never a moment we don’t seem to be sharing a laugh when we talk. I’ll be around plenty next year to visit Jr. Mucus and talk about the Cubs with you.

Anish Vasudevan: You scare the absolute sh*t out of me. But once we actually became friends, that went away. Sort of. My entire objective in life is still to write stories that I think would make you proud, and not having you over my shoulder the past year was extremely weird. Thank you for teaching me most of what I know about journalism today. I’ll never forget sitting with you in food.com as you shredded my first-ever byline about a CBA football recruit. Time sure flies. Don’t get too famous at ESPN.

Kyle Chouinard: No one can ever replicate your relentless output as a news reporter. You pumped out some of the best D.O. stories I’ve read during my time here, and helped run the paper with a level of professionalism and authority that intimidated me when stepping into your shoes as managing editor. Hopefully, I was an adequate successor. We could not be more different, but I think that’s why I gravitate toward you so much. You’re one of my, and many others’, biggest inspirations. Please remember that when you have a cabinet full of Pulitzers one day.

Tyler Schiff: Being your assistant was one of the great joys of my time here. Thank you for creating such an awesome and tight-knit environment in the sports room. You are an absurdly good scribe and taught me so much about how to hone in on my writing voice, as well as how to be sports editor. I will dearly miss our sh*t talking sessions and deep conversations.

Henry O’Brien: When I walked into the sports room inside of 230 Euclid Ave. for the first time, you flashed your toothy smile and made me feel at home. I’m sure we talked about the Bears or Steelers or something silly, but that conversation helped inspire me to get involved with The D.O. Thank you for being such an incredible role model for me. Let’s please stay in touch so you can make fun of me for the next crop of bust quarterbacks from Chicago.

Cole Bambini: I will never order a Rum and Coke without thinking of you. Thank you so much for hiring me onto your sports staff a few years ago. I literally wouldn’t be writing this without you taking a chance on me. You’ve always been one of my biggest advocates, and I appreciate all of the wisdom you imparted to me while we worked together. I promise the city of Chicago will take great care of Ben Johnson.

Connor Smith: My only goal as a copy editor for a while was figuring out the answer to one question: “How the hell do I write like Connor Smith?” I am stumped by that question to this day. I’d like to imagine that every generation of The D.O. has its superstar writer, and that was certainly you for your generation. Hopefully, we can run into each other again someday.

Anthony Alandt: The paper’s pledgemaster. Those nights shooting the sh*t on your porch will live in my head forever. Thank you for making me and the boys feel welcomed into D.O. culture and for being one of the first writers I looked up to here. Your larger-than-life persona was greatly missed last year. I hope the Browns win it all for you one day.

Connor Pignatello: Piggy! Thank you for showing me the ropes of how to be a copy editor way back when. I was just a scared freshman who didn’t know anyone, and you helped welcome me into this place. I love reading your content with The Post Standard, and hope to see you around plenty next year.

Wyatt Miller: To this day, I cannot believe you are childhood friends with f*cking Pete Crow-Armstrong. That has to be one of the coolest things I tell random people. Anyways, thank you for being such a great role model and encouraging figure for me while I was starting out at The D.O. It was a joy to read and edit your football coverage while I was an assistant, so you getting a job with the Rams was never a shock. Can’t wait to keep following your career, brother. Let’s keep in touch with PCA banter!

Mark Nash: The man who designed my first guide as sports editor soon became the man who helped create Stephanie and I’s lasting legacy: the new website format. Mark, you literally did everything for this paper for four years and somehow still make a noticeable difference in what we do. Thank you for showing me a lot of secrets about The D.O. and being so supportive of me throughout my time in-house. This place isn’t the same without you.

Adam McCaffrey: No one made me laugh more often than you, and we barely knew each other that well. Thanks for always being encouraging toward me and for running the sportscast while I was sports editor — never a dull moment shooting an episode with you. I’ll also never forget your Media Cup 2024 performance: scrappy, gritty players win ball games.

Kevin Lu: You are an inspiration to us all, K-Lu. I cannot believe that someone whose first language was Mandarin could move to the United States and quickly become a copy editor for an English-language paper. That’s unreal! I’ve never seen anything like that. You’re one of the sweetest dudes I’ve met here. I can’t wait to visit you while you’re out on Northwestern’s campus next school year!

Nicholas Alumkal, Noah Nussbaum: As I’ve said to both of you before: I’m so damn sorry for not hiring you when I was sports editor. What a bad oversight that turned out to be! I’m so impressed with how both of you were dealt a blow, and overcame it instantly by taking criticism and developing into detailed reporters and thorough, reliable editors. Nicholas, your writing style is one-of-one, and I hope we stay in touch during your time abroad. Noah, your improvement is up there for the most I’ve ever seen here, and I’m always one call away for any sports editor advice. Both of you guys are crushing it, and it’s only up from here.

Harris Pemberton, Jordan Kimball, Mauricio Palmar: The Johnsons! I can’t wait to get to know you boys a lot more next year. It’s really cool to see the next generation of wide-eyed kids trying to be sports writers. You are all so f*cking talented, and none of you know it yet. Just stay humble (especially you, Mauricio).

Stef Mitchell: I used to laugh my ass off when we made that document of random innuendo that got caught in sports story edits. It was actually such an extensive list. You helped make management a very comfortable place for me while I was a head editor, and it was really nice to have an authoritative figure to yell at my dig assistants when I didn’t want to. Thank you for being a dope DME. Hope you have a great senior year!

Sophie Szydlik: It was super fun getting to know you while you were DME. Thanks for coming into the big, scary sports room and sharing plenty of laughs with the staff — those were some of our favorite times in the fall of 2023. Your innate ability to find ways to increase digital engagement helped our paper grow a ton, and that’s helped set a great precedent for DMEs of the future. Can’t wait to see you do some sick sh*t after you graduate.

Cassie Roshu: What does Derrick Rose, me, and you have in common? We were all born on October 4. Jokes aside, your positive energy and beaming joy in-house was fun to work alongside both last semester and last spring. You have a great knack for coming up with innovative ideas and executing them, and I can’t wait to see what more things you come up with as a senior staffer. It was a pleasure being in management with you in the fall!

Rachel Raposas: Your trips into the sports room to ask what a 3-point shot was were among my greatest memories from my first year at The D.O. Seeing your energetic, engaging personality was something that inspired me to apply for managing editor. I wanted to be a similar presence as a leader, and I hope I lived up to your standard. Long live Swiders!

Richard Perrins: Thank you for helping bring me on staff in the spring of my freshman year. I’ll always remember when you tried to get the entire house to give me a standing ovation for getting a front-page byline as a freshman, but no one heard you and only you clapped. It was pretty awesome to see the EIC do that for some random kid like me.

Joe Zhao: You are truly the MVP of The D.O. You’re a ray of sunshine in the house, everyone lights up with a smile when you step into a room, and you’re literally so damn good at a million different aspects of our paper. My favorite memory with you was when you were with me at the Carmelo Anthony dispensary event on Marshall, and you snuck into the weed shop while I was left behind waiting in a line like a chump. That’s simply why you’re a legend. Please photog a ton of football games in the fall so we can keep seeing each other.

Lars Jendruschewitz: Your presence, which screams authority, made it difficult for me to actually see myself as your boss in the fall. I just let you cook, and that was a great decision. You ruled the photo section with an iron fist and propelled it into an awesome place with your leadership and talent. I admire your tenacity and respect for the journalism we do by recognizing how you can maximize that through visual elements. Hope to keep seeing you around campus!

Solange Jain: You were an easy hire as photo editor heading into the spring, and I’m glad to see that the jump to becoming a head editor paid off! Thank you for your diligent work during your time in-house and for being one of the nicest people to talk to on a daily basis. You helped put the photo section in a great spot moving forward.

Leo Eriman: Leooooooooooooooo! You have such a bright future at this place. You have a knack for taking pristine photos and getting yourself in the thick of where the action’s at. I admired you showing immense determination and an impenetrable drive to succeed — all as a freshman. Zak, Justin, Aiden and I can’t wait to work with you on football and basketball images next year.

Bridget Overby: My Chicago brethren! It was so fun working with you while you were PD and I was sports editor — my job was so much easier because of it. You are a hilarious personality and an insanely good designer, and I can’t wait to see what you go on to do in the future.

Lucía Santoro Velez: I knew you’d be chill when you requested that I play A Tribe Called Quest in the sports room one time. But, Jesus Christ, I did not know you’d be the most cracked paper designer I’ve ever seen. Your passion and love for design is completely unmatched, and it showed with your enthusiasm every single day. Thank you for making countless stories of mine, and many others, look amazing. I’m excited to see how you continue to impact The D.O. as DEIA manager!

Cole Ross: You’re by far one of the funniest people I’ve met. I used to think you were some random shy kid who sat in the vis room. But once we first talked, it was apparent you were anything but that. In fact, you struggle to keep your mouth shut at all times. That’s great, though, because you’re usually firing off a snarky comment that makes the whole room burst out laughing. You’re truly a one-of-one personality. It was a pleasure getting to work with you.

Ilana Zahavy, Sophia Burke: I’m so pumped to see you both take over as PD and DDD! You are both incredibly talented and reliable designers, as well as awesome people to have in house. I hope I’m not a bother when I pitch dom photo design ideas for my stories next year.

Flynn Ledoux: Not many people are better at their job than you are at yours. I don’t understand how you construct such detailed illustrations while consistently implementing your distinctive, modern style. Your work adds an unbelievable amount of quality to our paper, and we are all extremely lucky to bask in your presence. And you were so good that even the sports section started pitching illos regularly. That’s revolutionary stuff. Thank you for being a legend.

James Hoagland: Before becoming sports editor in spring 2024, I barely got around to other sections and made friends. And boy, am I glad that I started shooting the sh*t with you downstairs this past year. It was really dope to have another fellow college basketball fanatic in-house, and that’s probably how our friendship grew. But seeing your pure love for journalism and relentlessly helping serve our audience caused me to form deep respect for your work ethic. You were a generational opinion editor, and you’re perfectly suited for management. We can hit the bars whenever you get stressed, trust.

Savannah Grunmeier: Good lord you are way too intelligent to be working in journalism. As long as you don’t get a full-ride to Harvard or Yale or something insane, I couldn’t be more confident in the future of the opinion section under your leadership. I admired the passion you displayed this past semester, and I hope this is just the start of your impact on The D.O.

Paulina Diaz: You’ve been the opinion room’s resident chiller for a while. I won’t be in-house anymore, but it’ll be weird without your presence in here twice a week. I really appreciated how diligent of an editor and worker you were throughout your time in house. It was extremely easy and fun working with you, and you helped make the OP section a great place for me to stop by every night. Enjoy your freedom next year!

Kaia Wirth: It was always a great time hearing you crack jokes in the opinion room. We missed that this past semester. Thank you for being so easy to work with in the fall as a head editor! We oversaw a ton of growth in the opinion section, and much of that is because of the consistency you fostered in the fall. Your fun-loving personality and hard work will take you far in life.

Roxanne Boychuk: John Mannion! We all missed you in Spain this spring, but you deserved to get the hell away from Syracuse. You’re one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and you probably know way too much about me because you literally date my roommate. But jokes aside, you had a legendary career here and you should be immensely proud of all you accomplished. I’ll probably see you around.

Duncan Green: What a wild and interesting ride the spring 2025 semester was. I give you so much credit for battling through a lot of ups and downs. I can speak for both Stephanie and I when I say we were proud of how the news staff developed this semester, and that’s a testament to your leadership. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for you with The D.O.

Julia Boehning: I hope you don’t hate me for pulling you into archives and basically asking you to be news editor last fall. It’s easy for someone who hasn’t been in those shoes to ask something like that of another person, but you took the challenge and turned it into an opportunity. You are a relentless reporter and a thorough editor, and few people have more passion for news than you. It was a pleasure working with someone who truly cares about what we do here. Can’t wait to read your senior staffer byline next year.

Delia Rangel: I’m so excited to see you take over as news editor this fall; I know you’ll do awesome work. Your writing and reporting skills are very polished, and we could always trust you taking on spur-of-the-moment assignments while also handling massively important feature stories. I can tell you’re dedicated to journalism, and I know you’ll go on to do big things.

Ahna Fleming: There are few reporters I’ve met in college who are as ambitious as you are. As soon as you got on staff, every story you had published seemingly turned out to be a banger. Not only is that because you’re an incredible writer, but it’s because of your fearless drive to tackle crucial topics impacting the local and university communities, particularly through your work covering DEIA issues at SU. Your work here — both your award-winning clips and formation of an entire new position at the paper — will last a lifetime, and I’m glad I got to run into you along the way.

Ben Butler: You stepped into an uncomfortable situation as culture editor this past semester, and I really appreciate you sticking with it and learning how to be an editor on the fly. It’s a true pleasure to be able to read your stories. You have such a distinctive writing style, and I look forward to seeing how you continue to mold that over your career. Also, MJ’s not the G.O.A.T.

Mia Jones: Yet another Cubs fan pal in the house. It’s a damn shame you’re also a Michigan fan, though. We’ll have to change that. In all seriousness, you are one of the most talented writers I’ve had the chance to work with at this paper. Your ability to get extremely intimate details in your reporting is impressive, and I’m not even sure where you learned how to be such a good writer. You’ve simply got a knack for it. The culture section is in amazing hands this fall.

Savannah Stewart: The model of consistency. Thank you for being one of the most reliable in-house workers and writers that we’ve had at the paper since I’ve been here. It was awesome getting to know you in house and see you make amazing strides as a journalist. I know your future is extremely bright in whatever you decide to do. Also, I’m sorry for never showing up to that random history class last year. I don’t know how you sat through that every time.

Charlotte Price: Another Chi-town legend. I always appreciate a fellow midwest presence in the house; it’s something we don’t get enough around here. Your writing and reporting skills got a ton better as this past semester went on, and you were one of our most reliable in-house workers. The Oscar-Meyer hot dog mobile story was easily one of the spring semester’s best — keep finding those fun, wacky story angles to tell. I look forward to seeing what else you’ll go on to do here. The sky’s the limit.

Eliana Rosen: The same sentiment is true for you, Eliana. You made bounds of progress this semester on the culture staff through both your digital work and writing clips. It was always a joy of mine to read your stories and provide you feedback, which you always took in stride. And as a sports guy at heart, it was quite impressive to see you go for multiple sports-culture angles, like your Syracuse Mets and adapted sled hockey stories. Your journey here is just getting started, keep taking advantage of the opportunities.

Lily Zuckerman: You are an absolutely unbreakable ball of energy. I really admire your passion for journalism and your happy-go-lucky personality, and will miss seeing you around in the VIS room. All the best to you in your future!

Davis Hood: Bro, you are literally Fix-It Felix. Every single time we had a problem with the website acting up or any miscellaneous internet issue, you came to the rescue and never complained ONCE. I haven’t seen many harder workers than you. And I haven’t seen an IT guy who’s so involved with the day-to-day operations of the paper. But that’s why you’re so awesome: you give a sh*t. Please come by the house next year and ask the new staffers if they need any help, because everyone needs your assistance in some way, shape or form. I’m certain of that. Thank you for being you.

Adil & David: DAWGZ. I can tell you both are going places. You’re the perfect two people to fill Davis’ shoes, and I know you will expand upon what he’s already built. Can’t wait to see how your summer project turns out!

Chris Ern: The fact that we knew each other freshman year in BBB and I didn’t figure out you worked for The D.O. until the end of my sophomore year was an unreal revelation. Chris, you’re a beast. Thank you for immensely shaping the advertising and business sides of our paper into what it is now. You are so easy to work with, and it was always nice following up a chat in-house about a sports guide with some Yankees banter. Let’s have some fun together next year.

Stephen Santilli: To me, you were always an elusive, shadowy figure. I didn’t know what the hell you were up to at any given point, but I knew it was always something that was benefitting the paper. That’s the best feeling as a boss: to know you don’t have to oversee certain people who just put their head down and excel. And that was you. Thank you for helping grow the business side of this paper.

Kevin Ross: I have seriously no idea what we’d do without you around. Your diligence and passion for helping us students is appreciated to the moon and back. You’re the reason we are able to give our reporters such exclusive opportunities, and I thank you so much for that. Looking forward to more communication with you about sports travel next year.

The rest of the business staff: You all do God’s work. Thank you for making the management team’s job so much easier year in and year out. The reason we’re the best paper in the country is because of our financial independence, and you guys provide us with the ability to give our writers opportunities that many college journalists never receive. Keep it up.

The Chicago Bears: You were often who I looked forward to watching when I was bogged down by work. Thank you for providing me with nothing but sheer disappointment and horrible memories — of which often transpired inside 230 Euclid Ave.

Hudson, Rob, Daniel, Jacob, Patrick, Jeppy, Dom, etc: Fellas, I’d be nothing without you. Thank you for supporting me through my ridiculous, painstaking weekly schedule. I always had people to vent to about my life and about why I think the Bears will win the next 20 Super Bowls, and that was much-needed. Now, the wait is finally over: I’m free. Let’s have a legendary 2025-26.

Dad, Mom, Reese, Grandma, Grandpa, Stanley the dog: Words truly don’t do justice how much you all mean to me. You are the most supportive family I could ever ask for. My entire motivation is to make you all proud of me and the work that I accomplish. And even though I’m joining a dying industry and paying gobs of tuition, I hope I can show that all the weeks-long breaks I went without giving you guys a call was worth it in the end. I’m sorry that I was bogged down at times during my time at The D.O. And it means the world to know I always have my biggest cheerleaders there to uplift me. I love you all, so very much.

That was a lot of sappiness. But, don’t fret. The best from me is yet to come 😉

Published on May 5, 2025 at 11:33 pm
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews