Moving on and Keeping Promises
By Patrick Fitzgerald
This is issue eight of The Guardsman, our last issue of the semester. It also happens to be my last full-time semester at City College, and with any luck, I will have my associate’s degree in journalism.
I have been enriched by my college experiences, and for that, I am grateful. I have been empowered by new knowledge and skills to further my ambitions that before were only dreams.
Generous teachers and mentors, so accessible at City College, encourage and nurture our curiosity. They are an estate of opportunity, a willing network to utilize as we go forward in our new careers.
Other graduates may echo my delight with graduating for it was challenging to reach the finish line. I have experienced more sleepless nights than I can recount, not for worry but for effort. Many of us will be grateful for more sleep.
Every semester there has been a blur of learning and assignments that we still may be absorbing, and we will apply these lessons many times in our new careers. I have never had so many projects, papers and tests to burn through as here, and this effort surprised me as I already have a bachelor’s degree.
I am grateful for the administration and the service employees who kept the lights on and mopped the floors late in the evening. They have shown me it really does take teamwork to create extraordinary learning. Your work was neither wasted nor unappreciated.
This is a shout out to City College to say you are a success regardless of your issues.
I am particularly grateful to my teacher, mentor and friend Juan Gonzales, chair of the journalism department. He exemplifies the best at City College as he tenaciously works to create a learning hub, teaching us not only the power but also the responsibilities that are the hallmarks of good journalists.
My work as a reporter and editor at The Guardsman has also been rich. It was a crazy-making place because the deadlines were always too soon and the stories barely scratched the surface.
Nonetheless, it was highly rewarding to work with others on a myriad of issues that we all were curious about. Journalism, despite its perceived decline, is thriving as it becomes more adaptive, resilient and tough.
Here at City College, I feel the college community confuses journalism and public relations as one and the same when they are not. We need to discern that public relations is sponsored and manufactured media designed to make the subject look good, in this case City College.
Whereas journalism is a process meant to uncover the truth which often is not as public relations would neatly make it. It is true that public relations and journalism often coincide, but that is only when truth is the nexus between them.
This is a shout out to City College to say you are a success regardless of your issues. Many of us leave here knowing you are flawed, but that only makes us respect you more for fulfilling your mission and promise.
You have lived up to your principles of inclusiveness, integrity, innovation, creativity and quality. You have strengthened us with your resources, collegiality and public support while providing an excellent education.
I believe we know what it takes to be better global citizens grounded in critical thinking, and we have our eyes clearly focused on the future. And it is with great respect and gratitude that I say my heartfelt thank you to City College. Live long and prosper.
Contact a reporter
Send an email to: Patrick Fitzgerald or tweet to @HitSquarely