Editor In Chief (Fall 2024) Tribekah Jordan. Photo by her mom, Rebekah Jordan.
By Tribekah Jordan
As a teenager, I found reading was my way of escaping from the world around me. I would open a book, settle into a story, and transport into another point of view. It did not matter if the life I read about was better or worse than mine as long as it was different. Reading was a necessary tool to learn about something outside of what I knew and became the reason why I enjoyed empathizing with other people. Reading also encouraged me to believe my words could have that much power if I used them correctly.
A few years ago, I decided I would become a scriptwriter. My two loves intertwined – writing and film. This pursuit led me to Professor Tim Miller’s Introduction to Cinema course in 2022. I was nervous for different reasons, mostly because I never graduated high school, and it had been a long time since I stepped foot in a learning environment. As soon as I entered Miller’s classroom, I knew I did not have to be fearful. The course consisted of two simple things: watching movies and reviewing them.
Professor Miller is the only teacher who saw the passion I put into my writing. That semester, Miller encouraged me to write for the college newspaper to get my voice heard. I fell in love with writing articles – the fast-paced deadlines, the challenge to have my writing be up to date with current news, confronting my social anxiety by sitting down to interview someone, and the heavy weight of having it all published under my name. When you have the right people in your corner, such as a professor or an editor who believes in you, the challenge of being a writer becomes fun.
As the editor-in-chief of The MainSheet, I hope to encourage readers to empathize with the people in our stories. The 4Cs population inspires The MainSheet staffers because we are a part of it and understand there are stories here that deserve to be shared. Local stories, such as a life-changing opportunity for someone to enroll in college for free, an interview with a new video production professor who hopes for students to expand their artistry, or a book review that encourages a conversation on discrimination, make us feel connected to our community.
These narratives foster a sense of shared purpose and understanding, highlighting the unique ways in which individuals contribute to our society. I cannot wait to have each of our readers step into a new story and have our writers create a sense of community through the stories they choose to share. Thank you for supporting The MainSheet.
Sincerely,
Tribekah Jordan
Editor-In-Chief of The MainSheet
