For the RecordFor the Record is a weekly editorial usually written by the current executive editor of The Record. It may also be written by other Record editors.
For the Record is a weekly editorial usually written by the current executive editor of The Record. It may also be written by other Record editors.
November 9, 2023
Balancing the mess
As I entered my junior year of college, I could not have been more excited for all the different roles that I was going to be playing throughout campus. I was going to be chief announcer at The Globe, photo editor for The Record, a photographer for Comm-Mar, continue my work at Sauder Concert Hall and hoped that many more opportunities would present themselves. As the semester started, I was bursting with energy, ready to start into these jobs and take them to the next level; however, I found that one thing consistently got in my way: classes. Now, I...
November 3, 2023
An ode to change
There is something bittersweet about the unknown — being so close to the end, so close to change, but having no idea how to navigate it. I was reminded this past week of just how quickly time is passing by as I sat down for my advising session and began making plans for my senior internship next spring. The semester ends in just six weeks, I’m nearly six months away from graduating, and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing with my life. This semester has been marked with a constant cycle of change in my life. Sure, there...
October 26, 2023
An appreciation for leaves
As the seasons change, I often find it hard to remember the previous one — with the first drop in temperature and dew-frosted mornings too cold for short sleeves, warm weather becomes hard to remember. And when we get a “second summer,” like these last few days, I wonder how I could’ve possibly worn a sweater the day before (and quickly make plans for pickleball). My favorite part about fall is, without a doubt, the leaves. This week, the trees on campus have erupted in full force, with stunning displays of fiery reds, mellow magentas, sun-tinged yellows and all...
October 12, 2023
News and neighbors
At the beginning of my second semester of college, two-and-a-half years ago, I was tasked with writing a piece for The Record on Donald Trump’s second impeachment. Brimming with the excitement of writing my first news article and eager to do well, I modeled it off what I’d read in national newspapers. I wrote about the lead-up to the insurrection, the political aftermath, stuck a quote from President Stoltzfus’ campus-wide email in the last paragraph and sent it off to my editor. My first draft was too national-focused — we moved up Becky’s quote to the second paragraph, and my...
October 5, 2023
Everlasting sweat
One thing I’ve been thinking about this week is my grandpa’s sweat. Well, not specifically my grandpa’s sweat, but the words of an intro to a YouTube video I watched many years ago. Despite scouring the internet for this video, I can’t find it, but it has nonetheless stuck with me: a YouTuber started a video in front of a lake and said that his grandpa’s sweat was in it. His grandfather had swum in the lake only once, decades earlier, but claimed that after all those years, trace particles of his grandpa’s sweat had been mixed around and still...
September 28, 2023
Crosswords behind the scenes
When people hear that I make crossword puzzles with the help of a computer program, they’re usually surprised by how easy it must be. And while it’s true that I’m grateful not to be constructing in the era of graph paper and leafing through dictionaries, it is harder than it may sound. I thought it could be fun to go behind the scenes of this week’s crossword, so I’ll use it as an example for my process. Mild spoilers follow, so I suggest you flip to page 7 first and return here for the inside look. I started this week...
September 14, 2023
Cultivating and being cultivated
After getting back from studying in Ecuador this summer, I had four weeks at home before I moved into college. This transition time was awkward and challenging: I was abruptly back home and expected the reverse culture shock to hit me — but sometimes it didn’t, and the familiarity I felt returning to the U.S. was jarring in its own way. With a wide-open schedule for the first time in months, if not years, I wasn’t sure how to fill my days. I was feeling out-of-place in my country, in my privilege and at times in my family. One way...
September 8, 2023
Fresh flowers and faces
I just love the start of a school year. The anticipation and built-up energy are perennially rejuvenating, and I find myself looking forward to campus life by the end of my summers. It’s always fun to return, noticing the changes summer has brought: flourishing flowers and meticulously manicured landscaping tended by the physical plant staff, a Spanish section added at the library, the Visual Arts building’s masonry restored, the intramural volleyball courts replenished with sand, a kitchen-trailer camping out in a parking lot — and, of course, new faces. I find this sense of budding, bubbling newness best embodied at...
April 13, 2023
The power of our voices
We first joined The Record staff as arts page co-editors. We then took on the features and news pages together. It is only fitting to co-write this editorial to end our semester as co-executive editors. At the first editorial meeting of the semester, we asked our staff to visit AreYouPressworthy.com. The Columbia Journalism Review created the website to calculate “press value based on current reporting in America.” To calculate one’s value, one must enter their age, gender, state and ethnicity. We were only worth 20 and 26 news stories. In comparison, a missing white woman in her early 20s would...
March 30, 2023
‘It’s okay if you don’t’
A faculty member recently asked me, “How can you do it all?” I shrugged and replied, “I honestly couldn’t say.” The truth is, I could say, but that would be admitting that I have too much on my plate and I’ve been neglecting my mental health. It often feels like I don’t have time to focus on it or to feel my feelings in general, so, I channel my energy into extracurriculars and coursework. This is what dealing with high-functioning depression feels like. You may not look “depressed” because you’re still functioning. So, in turn, nobody really checks on you....
March 23, 2023
Mennonites and me
Before I came to Goshen College, I had no idea what a Mennonite was. After three years at GC, I know what “Martyrs Mirror” and Mennonite Central Committee are. I have played Dutch Blitz and held “Voices Together.” I know there is more depth to the Mennonite experience, but I think it is fair to say that in a short time, I have not only been exposed to the culture, but immersed. The population at GC is shifting, though. We know most students are not Mennonite anymore. So then why does this institution feel inescapably Mennonite? In a few years,...
March 16, 2023
Traveling to find my why
Last May, I traveled to London for my Goshen College Study-Service term (SST) requirement. I was ecstatic in the planning stage — creating vision boards, tailoring music playlists and even watching “Notting Hill,” starring my favorite romantic-comedy queen, Julia Roberts, more than once. Of course, my stomach was in knots up until departure. It was the first time in my 23 years I would be traveling abroad. From the bus ride to the airport and onward, all my peers seemed to know what they were doing: navigating the TSA process, checking bags and understanding where to go. Unfortunately, I did...
February 23, 2023
The pressure of the pen
This week, I struggled with deciding on a topic for this editorial. Everything that came to mind felt intense or personal. Don’t get me wrong – there is a lot to be said – but I find that I am censoring myself out of protecting other people’s comfort. I wish that I could take these editorials as an opportunity to write a pretty little piece on something light and beautiful. As a first-generation Latina college student, I am finding that this is impossible. I am constantly aware of the influence that comes with serving as an executive editor. I have...
February 16, 2023
On Black history month
It’s Black History Month, a time dedicated to celebrating iconic figures that left their footprint on American soil. I’ll admit that I have mixed emotions about this month. While I’m grateful, I can’t help but focus on the performative activism and repetitive stories told that come along with February. Simply put, performative activism is when someone engages in a cause to build their social standing rather than from genuine commitment. This form of activism is most notable through movements like Black Lives Matter and Black History Month. On social media, I am bombarded by people and companies showcasing their surface-level...
February 2, 2023
In defense of the English major
In the past decade, private institutions have gone bankrupt due to the lack of interest in the humanities and a liberal arts education. English departments across the country are currently dealing with low enrollment rates At Goshen College, the incoming class of 2022 has 9 declared English majors and 5 writing majors. There are 109 declared nursing majors and 65 business majors. This distribution is similar nationally, even among Ivy League institutions. The rise of anti-intellectualism is to blame for this. By that, I am referring to the general sentiment of anger, mockery and dismissal against people who read and...