Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a very emotional person. Objectivity is my strength. That made this letter – my goodbye letter – so difficult to write.

I joined the Curtis Log my freshman year. Ms. Turner, the advisor of the paper, had poached me from her photojournalism class after reading one of my assignments. She asked me, after looking up from her computer: “Have you ever thought about writing for the paper?” One “maybe” and four years later, it’s safe to say the rest is history. (Excuse the cliche.)

As a freshman, I had no idea what I was getting into. I’d never written an article before, much less participated in a club. I associated the field of journalism as a whole with dishonesty, and I never wanted to be the kind of person that made things seem different than they actually were.

My time with the paper would prove my fears unfounded.

Come September of sophomore year, I was promoted to Editor-in-Chief, along with my peer Bernice Lee. I now recognize this promotion as a sign of trust on Ms. Turner’s part – trust that we would represent Curtis with fairness and integrity. She saw something in us – in me – that I struggled to see for a long time.

Out of tens of clubs, hundreds of events, and thousands of students, how do you decide who or what gets the spotlight? That is the Log’s eternal question. I found that the answer lied in our staff. Over the course of four years, I have had the pleasure of working with many different students. No one writer was ever the same; they all had their own stories to tell. The diversity in our staff aided us in striking a balance between everything that defines Curtis. To our staff writers, photographers, and other contributors: thank you. Your dedication, time, and effort made the paper as diverse and accurate as it could be. I am grateful to have watched you grow over these four years.

In 2002, Ryan Heffernan, the then-Editor-in-Chief of the Curtis Log, made a decision. He wrote the Log’s editorial policy, cementing our paper’s values in stone. Among other things, his policy established the separation of the Log from the desires of the administration. In doing so, Heffernan not only set the stage for a free paper but codified what the Log had been doing for almost 100 years: showing real life at Curtis. His decision to uphold this mission protects the staff to this day.

The Curtis Log’s goal remains the same 24 years later. We are not a newsletter, and we do not serve as a mouthpiece for other parties. The purpose of the Log, and journalism as a whole, is to report the truth. Much like a doctor, it is our paper’s responsibility to diagnose problems in the school. It is my sincere hope that our readers will continue to trust us to report on the real Curtis.

Thank you for an amazing four years,
Angeline Collado
Editor-in-Chief