The Commonwealth Times Staff As many of us prepare to move on from VCU, we, The CT staff, are reflecting on the period of substantial growth and change we have undergone this past academic year — and the meaningful stories you allowed us to retell. We began in August with a staff of almost entirely new faces, hoping to produce a newspaper that would truly reflect and honor our community.  We came together from different backgrounds, majors and experiences. This short-lived staff sought to give a voice to the underrepresented and underserved. We recognize VCU as a unique, nuanced institution that exists within the boundaries of a beautiful, growing Richmond. To the people of RVA, thank you for tolerating us. We hope our reporting reflected those sentiments. This era of The CT ushered in new ideas across every corner of the publication. We initiated a streamlined hard news operation to promptly deliver vital information to our readers. We translated stories into Spanish in a principled step to broaden our reach, promote language access and fill news gaps. We found new ways to tell stories in an evolving world; our four sections became six with “Features,” where we examined stories with

Katie Meeker, Opinions & Humor Editor When I first received my acceptance letter for VCU’s masters in teaching program, I was so excited to finally be getting a foothold in my future.  I’d struggled all through undergrad trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do with my English degree. I knew I wanted to do something that gave back to my community, and after much soul searching, I realized education was a perfect way to fulfill that need.  Beyond the specific appeal of VCU’s program, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to live and work in Richmond — I’ve grown very fond of the city and its people, and student teaching would allow me to give back to the place that has become my home.  However, I quickly realized that recently, Richmond hasn’t been too kind to its educators. In January, the proposed Richmond Public Schools budget for the coming fiscal year included plans for more than 40 layoffs, raise delays for staff, the elimination of summer school programs for all non-high school students, a reduction in mental health programs for students and the termination of the district’s online learning program.  There are certainly a

Kylie Grunsfeld, Staff Columnist I have deleted Instagram — my primary vice — many times, and each time I’ve felt my body become instantly lighter, my energy increase and my anxiety ebb, even if only slightly.  I’ve gone weeks and months without Instagram. Its absence makes me better for reasons I need to constantly remind myself of, because otherwise I become tempted to return to the very thing that steals so much of my life.  Being offline forces you to be present How many times has someone had to repeat themselves because you were so busy scrolling that you forgot to listen? How many times have you been in the car, the bus, the train or even walking and you’ve missed a chance to connect with your surroundings? I notice so much more when my attention is not being monopolized by Instagram. Little sights that enrich my days despite their briefness — a squirrel digging in the mulch, a baby smiling at me, a piece of beautiful architecture. These moments are what make life. These opportunities to appreciate our humanity are often lost when we choose to let algorithms snatch our awareness.  You’ll become a more patient person You can

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor I came to VCU lost, dazed and enthralled — a freshman with no concrete major who questioned: “What the hell am I gonna do for the next four years?”  One week and a signed clipboard later, the answer to that became journalism, as well as my unofficial second major: a Bachelor of science in The Commonwealth Times. One semester later, that answer became “News Editor for The Commonwealth Times.” One rejected application later, it became “Audience Editor for The Commonwealth Times” — a happy accident through which I forged new, and sometimes bad, ideas as the only freshman on staff. One year later, the answer became “fired from The Commonwealth Times.” Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. I failed a bunch of classes too. I made a lot of mistakes. It took a lot of time and some excruciating soul searching to learn from them — but I’d like to say I came around. One more year later, the answer to my question became “Executive Editor of The Commonwealth Times.” Being a journalist means being a lifelong learner. You have to become an expert on something different every week. In another sense, you have to keep pushing and