With Love, Erin

Co-Editor-In-Chief Erin Holton '25 with a copy of the Circle from this semester. Photo by Ava Battinelli '26.

Let’s start off with some honesty: I never expected to be Editor-in-Chief. There’s always the cliche story of a determined underdog writer who puts in so many semesters of work and finally ends up as the Editor-in-Chief of their college paper, but I’m not that writer. Sorry to disappoint. I got here kind of by accident.

I know that doesn’t sound great coming from the person who is literally one half of the position in charge of all of the operations of the paper. I promise I’ll make a point about it later. I’ve always been a writer. However, I didn’t join The Circle until the spring semester of my junior year, which is much later than I should have. I always wanted to give it a try, but impostor syndrome really had a grip on me throughout my first few years of undergrad. I honestly didn’t think I was a good enough writer. After some pushing from my advisor, Professor Jeffrey Basinger, I joined.

It was a fantastic decision. After the semester was done, suddenly I was having a conversation with the previous managing editor, Erin-Leigh Hoffman ‘24, who had enough faith in me to recommend me for managing editor. Without her trust in my ability to do this, I wouldn’t have had this experience, so thank you, Erin! 

Working as a managing editor was where I got to know Andrew Breen ‘25, my co-editor for this past year. Emma Denes, our editor-in-chief for fall 2024, was a rockstar and completely reshaped The Circle for the better. When Andrew and I were told we needed to fill her shoes for the spring semester, I was beyond nervous. I had just gotten a role as a managing editor, and now I needed to step up to be Editor-in-CHIEF? It seemed like an impossible task. 

But it wasn’t! Before I knew it, Andrew and I were in the flow of things in the spring, and I cannot understate how proud I am of the work The Circle has done this semester. One thing about being editor-in-chief, you have to read every article. Every single article that has been published this semester, I have read. I’ll let you do the math.

I am so glad I have had this experience. Not only has being on the editorial board made me a better writer and editor, but it has also made me a more well-rounded person. It’s cliche, I know, but coming into the board with limited experience brought a fresh take to The Circle. I felt like I had a clean slate, and that I didn’t have to follow any certain precedent before me. I believe that Andrew and I used our creativity and leadership skills the best we could, and I think we had a positive impact on the club as a whole.

I do have so many people to thank, but I can’t fit everyone unfortunately. To my editorial board for the past two semesters, thank you. I know there were some bumpy moments, but from covering Trump’s re-election to the April Fool’s issue, I am so proud of the work that has come out of this publication this semester.

To Amanda Nessel ‘25, our chief of graphic design, you continued to raise the bar. Without your dedication to making sure everything looked just right, we would not have had a paper, period. Thank you for the NUMEROUS hours you’ve put in!

To Kyle Esoian ‘25, thank you for putting up with my sometimes incomprehensible texts and absolutely rocking the reminder emails. Your willingness to help and laid-back energy were so beneficial as a managing editor, and you really came in clutch a lot. Good luck with everything post-grad!

To Ben Leeds ‘26 and Cora Flynn ‘26, you guys are going to kill it as managing editors! Keep up the great work, you two are excellent writers, and I’m so excited to see where you go.

To Ava Battinelli ‘26, I literally do not know what we would have done without you. Not only are you a remarkable writer, but you are a great leader and I’m so lucky I got to meet you and work with you this semester. You’re going to be a great editor-in-chief, and I’m always here if you need anything.

To Andrew, I couldn’t have been editor-in-chief without you. Thank you for the late-night calls, yelling emojis and crashouts. We managed to do it! I’m proud of the work we’ve done together, and I’m lucky to have you as a friend. Le Fishe forever!

Thank you to the professors that have kept me going and given me the necessary critique to be better at this craft. Professors Leander Shaerlaeckens, Jeffrey Basinger and Kevin Lerner, you have been incredible supporters and instructors during my time here at Marist. I know who I’m going to be emailing when I need a letter of recommendation!

To my dearest darling friends who have put up with me bringing copies of the paper to your houses, thank you. I know this was a silly side quest of mine, but the love and support I got from you while I was up late editing or panicking after a rehearsal to get the paper in on time was so essential, and I love you all. Mom, thank you for getting me into journalism and encouraging my writing when I was younger. Look where it got me!

The last thing I want to say, keep writing. Don’t let the easy access to ChatGPT take away what has always made us human: our OWN words. I’ve never been more firm in my belief that we have to keep writing, not just because, without it, we lose critical thinking skills, but because having agency over our words has never been more important. Keep. Writing. 

With love, Erin.