Editorial: We’ve Only Just Begun

As I write this I can only assume that this will be the last editorial I will ever write for you, the dear readers of the UCC Express (or at the very least, the last one I write to keep your arse dry outside the back of Coffee Dock…). For those of you who’ve read every issue this year, thank you for being on this journey with us. And yes, that is a little over dramatic, it’s just a shitty college paper, but it’s emotional to potentially leave something like this behind. Ever since I applied to be Editor of the Motley in first year (without ever reading a copy of it), and also (more realistically) applied to be Film & TV Editor of the Express, it’s played a part in my life. So I’ll get over dramatic if I want to, goddamn it.Editing this issue of the paper I’ve realised something: while it may be the end of our journey together, it’s the beginning of many others. So many of our editors and writers took a position on the Express this year to either try it out, or to give a hand, but most of them have come out the other side with a passion or desire for writing, something they may or may not follow, but it’s something new. And that’s the point of this whole thing at the end of the day, right?Going to treat the last bit of this like a report at an AGM. We went from 18 people on staff last year to 29 now. We maintained the diverse element of our staff, with the majority of our staff this year being female; our staff represents almost every different disability, sexuality, gender identity and a variety of ages, beliefs, gender identities and nationalities. Last year we had one interview with someone that wasn’t a dude, and this year we had 10 interviews with women and non-binary identifying people. We were nominated for 13 Smedias last year, and this year we’ve added a few to that number, as well as being up for other national & international awards. Fuck man, we also published an extra 52 page magazine on sex (that may or may not have been banned in certain buildings on campus). It was a really fulfilling, successful year.So I’d like to thank my staff, be they weather-worn final years or wide-eyed freshers, for all they’ve done this year to (figuratively) prop up my useless ass. Whether we’ll talk every day, or we’ll never meet again, I’m proud to have been on this journey with you, and the next one that’s only just begun.