The Reporter’s Editor-In-Chief Turns Her Tassel, And Moves On To Next Challenge

I only have a few more grains left.

As the sand rushes through the small gap of my hour glass, the sound gets louder and louder.

My heart pounds.

I begin to think about each grain of sand and what each one represents during my tenure at The Reporter.

My body shakes.

I’ve grown here. I’ve seen others bloom. I’ve fallen here and have helped others get back up. I’ve gone to several graduations.

I’ve seen colleagues let go and go on, taking with them the experience they gained at the paper—both personal and professional.

Now it’s my turn. I graduated from Miami Dade College on April 28.

I have a confession: I didn’t turn my tassel.

As my classmates grasped at strings of yarn dangling from their caps, I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over.

I wasn’t ready.

I could hear parents, friends and family members cheering my name.

I smiled, waved and sat down.

No one ever told me taking the next step would be this hard.

Two years ago, I wrote to you as a recent high school senior, who had been elected  editor-in-chief of The Reporter. In my column, I said I was excited to ripen as a journalist and find stories with all of you.

Boy, did we find stories. Leading a staff of more than 75 students at three bureaus wasn’t easy. But at least I can say, I’ve seen it all.

I’ve seen photographers roll in mud and chase fires just to get that perfect shot.

I’ve gotten yelled at by high-profile individuals, had the opportunity to dig up criminal records and have gotten doors slammed in my face.

I’ve witnessed editors interview famous musicians such as Bizzy Bone, 50 Cent and Iggy Pop, and seen reporters shoot video from an airplane or a sewer drain.

But while growing as a student, I was also given the opportunity to blossom outside my college newsroom; at the age of 19 I began writing breaking news stories for The Miami Herald.

While other students highlighted vocabulary words in their basic reporting textbooks, I was at a crime scene interviewing witnesses of a North Miami funeral home shooting.

While classmates tanned on sandy shores, I was interviewing the mother of 17-year-old young man who was killed by a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Fla.

So today, I write to you as someone with experience. A matured reporter with the confidence to follow her gut. Someone who is not afraid to ask questions. A fair journalist.

The Reporter is my root; the mentorship and guidance I got their has made me the reporter I am today. I will forever be indebted.

But time is ticking. My internal tug-of-war is over.

I’m ready to turn my tassel and embrace that last grain of sand.

Monique O. Madan, 20, will study journalism at Emerson College in Boston or at the University of Miami this fall. She will have her pen and reporter’s notebook ready.