To the students of St. John’s,

In our last issue as editors of the Torch, as our tenure as student leaders comes to close, we’d like to comment on the experience of being St. John’s students and leaders on campus for the past few years.

What has been a truly rewarding experience serving the students and members of the St. John’s community, our tenures as Torch editors have taught us valuable lessons in the merits of student action and engagement. Though we’ve encountered many inspiring examples of students getting involved and making a mark during their time at this University, it has been our overall obseravation that student engagement is lacking at St. John’s.

On a positive note, we’ve also observed a slight improvement over the past year, which may be the result of a general improvement in student life or even the building of the D’Angelo Center. However, there is still room for improvement, and if we have one message for all freshman, sophomore and soon-to-be St. John’s students, it would be to urge you to get involved on campus. Make time to employ your passions somehow at St. John’s and begin working towards life goals now.

For us, and for many other student leaders and active students that we have had the pleasure to interact with over the years, St. John’s has become a building block for our careers and aspirations. We say this not to attest simply to the classroom education we’ve received, or even to praise the more inspirational teachers we’ve developed relationships with. Rather, this place has provided us with an outlet to learn and develop as individuals.

For us, this outlet has been the Torch. For others, it has been student government, or Haraya, or WSJU or Earth Club. What we know is that we would not be the same people without our active participation in student life over the past couple of years.

What we want to stress is that the experiences we’ve had, the people we’ve met and the opportunities that have become available to us have not been provided. They needed a certain element of action, of a strong desire to make a mark on campus and do something worthwhile with our four years.

To the young students who are reading this, we urge you to take advantage of your time at St. John’s, or wherever you may spend the rest of your undergraduate years. Take action because it will result in a more rewarding experience than not acting. Get involved because you have nothing to lose except tuition money that you aren’t truly benefiting from.

Expect greatness of yourself in all that you do, based on the hardwork you put in, and make it start as St. John’s students.

To the next editorial board of Torch editors that will take on the responsibility of the only independent press in this community, we implore you to continue the tradition of the Torch in a way that upholds the principles of journalism. Be a voice for those who find it hard to be heard, and hold the administration of this institution to the highest expectations possible. Know that your work is crucial to this school community and that your hard work, while it will often go unrecognized, should be done with a humble disposition.

We thank all those that we have forged friendships with during our time in this office, and wish you the best of luck in years to come. In the words of the great artist Drake, when in doubt, just do you.

Justin Thrift

Managing Editor