I love storytelling, so I’d like to walk you through a journey of my life with the Pacer. I came to the Pacer when I was a Freshman, the first year when colleges were all in person after the pandemic, and Ms. Tomi needed to recruit staff from COVID, so she advertised in the newspaper every time she was teaching a class. During this time, I had an assignment where I had to write about an organization in the department, so I took this as my opportunity to go to the Pacer.
The lovely atmosphere of laughing and small group drew me in and I enjoyed coming to the meetings and observing how the staff worked together.
However, I was too shy to pick up story ideas, and also not much of a writer, but one layout night in December I decided to stay back— as a freshman, I truly did not have as much work to do. There was this huge gap on the cover page of the newspaper, so I volunteered to create a graphic for commencement. Thus, the next day I saw my first graphic come to life and Ms. Tomi told me that she was raving all about it to Dr. Rutledge. I felt my confidence in design boost and this was my calling to the newspaper.
This same year, Ms. Tomi brought up the idea of the logo needing an update after 10 years, which sparked the media design team to form and rebrand the whole Pacer. Shortly after having a late-night discussion with the team and a dream, I designed the logo in which I mashed the UT Martin Skyhawks with a news icon on the letter P. Alongside the media design team, we worked on the the newspaper style and layout to be what you see today.
Sophomore year I became Media Editor where I saw my logo used consistently, my 95th-anniversary shirt given out to the masses at Quad City, infographics and ads in the newspaper, tote bags, note pads, etc. Seeing my work in real life changed my perspective and gave me a renewed passion for design. The Pacer allowed me to see the potential in how design changes a brand and how it impacts the community.
This was the same year I broke the news to Ms. Tomi that I wanted to study abroad in Japan for a year. She was the first friend who was excited and happy for me — I truly felt supported. The staff assured me that they’ll make it work when I am abroad which I couldn’t have been more grateful for.
While abroad my junior year, I faced a lot of challenges in my personal life. However, the Pacer was something familiar that felt like home with the people I knew. Even when I was in a dark place, I joined a Zoom call and finally felt at peace. Afterward, I was able to push through and enjoy my time abroad with the staff wishing me well.
My senior year was my arrival back to North America to finish my degree. Though I didn’t have a true summer break beforehand . . . I only had a few weeks after returning to relax and recover from finals in Japan; as a result, at the beginning of the school year I was dealing with reverse culture shock and exhaustion from traveling.
This is when Ms. Tomi broke the news that I would be Executive Editor for The Pacer next semester. I was extremely nervous but I agreed because you need to take risks in life to learn about yourself.
In January, I became executive editor and it was a learning curve to understand but I definitely have grown into my role. This is an intimidating position where a lot of people rely on you and you have to be the one who can guide them, help them and lead them through a smooth layout. I learned a lot about being a leader and tried my best to improve the Pacer. Although this was a short time frame, I love working with the staff I have and getting to know each individual.
Overall, I went from being a shy freshman who didn’t feel comfortable speaking up about my ideas to becoming an executive editor leading the whole Pacer staff for meetings and layout. Throughout my four years, I have gotten way out of my shell and grown from any obstacle that was thrown at me.
I would like to thank the department for always believing in my ideas and providing the resources needed to achieve my goal. I have three professors I would like to thank for my time at UT Martin for supporting my visions, dreams and life path.
Dr. Rutledge thank you for seeing my passion in design and bringing me the opportunity to work at University Relations as their Design Intern, especially for helping me in the process for the interview and printing out my portfolio for me. I appreciate the hours you spent with me on figuring out my schedule so I could go abroad to Japan and live my dreams — while also managing to make sure I graduate on time. I will forever be grateful that you were my advocate and helped me achieve my dreams and goals.
Hammond Sensei, thank you for allowing me to travel abroad to Japan for a year and opening my eyes to a whole new world. Japan will always be my second home with friends and family I have, and I hope to visit Japan soon. Thank you for helping me with the paperwork and supporting me before and during my time abroad. I always looked forward to your classes and enjoyed learning Japanese with you!
Ms. Tomi, although you will be reading this before this print comes out. Thank you for always inspiring me to do better and push myself for opportunities. You have no idea how many core memories I have of us talking, laying out newspapers till midnight and how much of an impact you have made on my life. You are the core of what has made the Pacer so interconnected with everyone and the amazing atmosphere it is. I am one of the lucky few who entered the staff with you as my advisor and now leave the staff with you.
Finally, I would like to thank the lovely staff I got to work with throughout my four years and their collaborative teamwork in getting stories and newspaper editions out. I have enjoyed numerous layouts laughing to lighten up the mood while also following the stressful deadline. Everyone here cares about the Pacer and I love how passionate each individual is.
On campus, especially at UT Martin, there are a lot of opportunities to help improve organizations and make your mark, so take it, ask, the answer is always no unless you ask. You gain a lot of experience here and will accomplish so much in four years (or more) than you would ever think you would. One big lesson you will learn here is that you need to roll with the punches. Obstacles are lessons in spikey clothing, sometimes they hurt but they are valuable for you to move forward. This year has been the best year at UT Martin gaining new friends, healthy relationships and learning lessons — I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything else.
