Little Anna never would’ve thought she’d be a part of a newspaper. Photos by Anna Hauser.

ANNA HAUSER | ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER | aehauser@butler.edu

Let me preface this by saying I do not think of myself as a particularly skilled writer. So, when I opened the application to join the Collegian as a designer my first year at Butler, I saw that the application asked me to select my top three roles – not just one. The rule-follower I am assumed that I could not select “Designer” all three times, so I quickly closed the tab out of fear that I’d have to write. I then pushed the possibility of being on the Collegian out of my brain for the next three years.

When I told this story to my good friend and Collegian Design Editor Abby Hoehn, she told me she did the same thing as a first-year, but reassured me that the Collegian was actively looking to hire designers, and I wouldn’t have to write. As senior year quickly approached, I knew I wanted to fill my time with new clubs and organizations to avoid thinking about the impending doom that is graduation. So, after three years, I finally completed the application and was hired as a designer. 

I thought that being part of the Collegian would mean being forced to write. While that is far from true, copying and pasting the photo credits and captions is close enough to writing for me. I’ve botched the pseudo-writing art of copying and pasting countless times – sorry, Abby. However, I thought it would be fulfilling to write at least one article, so this will be my first and last. 

I have spent every Tuesday night for the past year in Adobe InDesign, attentively trying to create the perfect layout for each article; and while that has been a great experience for me, the most fulfilling part was when Editor-in-Chief Leah Ollie asked me if I was interested in being the assistant marketing manager. Staying up past my bedtime every Tuesday to create TikToks, social media posts and newsletters for The Butler Collegian is not how my first-year self imagined my senior year would go, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

What I didn’t expect when I finally joined the Collegian was just how much the people behind the scenes would come to mean to me. The saying is true: “The people make the place.” I remember stepping into my first pub night knowing one person, but the friendships and memories I’ve made forced me to stick around. Cheesy, I know. 

Over the course of a year, I learned a lot of valuable skills that will be very applicable to whatever my future endeavors may be, but what is truly going to stick with me from the Collegian are the memories. So, I thought I would share a few. 

Of course, I could talk about the excessive amount of time spent captivated by the DoorDash app, trying to figure out what late-night food to order as motivation. Thank you, Abby, for always being down to split Wingstop fries and ranch. 

I should also mention the time spent doom-scrolling on TikTok, looking for our 15-second claim to fame, then pestering the editorial board to be in said TikTok. Shout out to Jia and Tori for being the TikTok baddies you are. 

It wouldn’t be the Collegian without some odd meme reference or video shared throughout the night. Thank you to the rest of the editorial board for keeping me semi-up-to-date in pop culture. 

As fun as my time with the Collegian has been, what will truly stick with me is everyone’s passion for this newspaper. Just last week, as we were line-reading an article, I looked around and noticed the amount of focus and dedication that every single person puts into each piece. Amid all the funny moments and jokes, the passion for journalism, and especially the Collegian, shines through. 

All this to say, the Collegian is a really special place. While I wish I followed through on the application freshman year, I am so grateful to have gotten to experience the Collegian for even just one year.