In my 16 years of being a student, and my fourth year at Concordia, I have never experienced a school year like this. Between online classes, a lack of face-to-face interaction, and uncertainty about the future, all aspects of normalcy seem to be gone. It is harder than ever to connect with others, and it almost feels like I have to relearn so much about school and life that I should have mastered by now. I know that these feelings are not unique to me, as so many other students at Concordia and schools across the country are adjusting to learning in these new conditions. But the changes and challenges come with new stories, ideas and experiences. As the editor-in-chief of The Concordian this year, I hope to connect Cobbers, wherever they are, by telling those stories.
My name is Ingrid Harbo, and I am a senior majoring in multimedia journalism and political science. I started writing and editing for The Concordian during the spring semester of my junior year, and fell in love with the way writing weekly stories pushed me to talk to so many people and learn so much more about Concordia. This semester, I am studying in Washington, D.C., and am running The Concordian with the help of Dominic Erickson, my managing editor and on-campus eyes and ears.
This year, I plan to publish stories about the Concordia community’s achievements and successes, but also their worries and struggles. I want to help answer the questions they have about the college and provide accurate and clear information in a fast-changing world. History is being made before our eyes, and I seek to document that history through the voices of Concordia students, staff and faculty, so future Cobbers can look back and see what it was like to be a part of the Concordia community during a global pandemic and turbulent election year. I know there are many stories waiting to be told, and so many more that will unfold as the year goes on.
This year especially, we want to hear from our readers. You are the ones living the stories we write, and if there is something going on that you think we should cover, we want to hear about it. As Concordia’s on-campus news source, we want to write about the things you, our readers, are interested in, and answer the questions you have. If you are interested in getting involved with The Concordian as a writer, contact us and we can help you get started.
Like last year, The Concordian will continue to print every other Thursday, and the website (theconcordian.org) will be updated with the week’s stories every week. We also have a weekly e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to on our website.
I look forward to hearing your stories, and I hope you all have a safe and healthy semester.
