Managing Editor: Matt Rentezelas

I wish I had some sort of whimsical or impactful reason for joining Eastside. As most newspaper readers know, however, the truth is oftentimes much less remarkable than one would hope. When choosing electives for my freshman and sophomore year, I effectively tried out a bunch of vastly different pathways — Intro to Computer Programming, Business Law, and 3D Art. At that point, I was completely lost when it came to my future, and taking Journalism 1H just happened to appeal to me at that point in time. 

Walking into F087 on my first day of in-person classes, I remember immediately seeing a gigantic monkey plush staring at me. As my eyes scanned across the room, I took notice of the dozens of past Eastside pages covering the walls, serving as windows into the culture, events, and perspectives of the past. Throughout the year, my interest in writing for Eastside continued to grow. From a young age, I’ve always loved sharing stories, whether they be jokes, memories, pieces of historical trivia, opinions, or current events. In F087, I saw an opportunity to step on my metaphorical soapbox and voice things that have captured my attention. And so, I applied to be Print Global Commentary Editor.

Though I was a quiet part of the editorial board at first, I soon became a vocal (maybe too much so) member of class discussions on editorials, projects, and more. I pursued my goals, covering global issues such as the treatment of 2022 World Cup stadium workers in addition to school issues like the impact of online classes. But most importantly, I befriended members of the board I would’ve never been exposed to otherwise. Asher and Enis became a consistent source of new jokes and ideas each class; Gia became a friend I could always count on for existential questions and discussions; Manar became my group chat enemy; Abby and Brielle became great sources of Eastside and senior year advice. All of these people (along with many others) became friends and sources of guidance rather than simple peers. If not for Abby, I wouldn’t have even decided to apply for managing editor — I thought I wouldn’t have any luck in the application process going against people who had been on the board since sophomore year.

In my senior year, I continued to take advantage of every opportunity within Eastside. I knew that my time was limited and that with everything going on, the year (sorry for the cliché) would fly by. I continued to connect with members of the board, with Danny and Landon becoming new sources of humor throughout class periods and Michelle and Taylor becoming my stalkers in the East parking lot. With the EICs and Gagz, I helped instill organizational changes to the board’s framework. With Asher, I was able to write many editorials and interview important political figures about their time in office. And where, if not in Eastside, could I have had the opportunity to falsely and publicly claim that cameras would be put in each East bathroom? 

Though my time on the board is coming to a close, I am happy knowing my contributions remain. Through memories, print and online articles, and school policy, I am comfortable knowing that my time with Eastside will survive in many forms.

But I digress.