By Isabella Darcy
Former Editor-in-Chief
After eating dinner at The Atrium at Eickhoff Hall during my first month at the College, I came down with a terrible stomach ache. I assumed I had food poisoning, considering how much buzz surrounded poor food quality on campus.
The stomach pain persisted throughout the following day, so much so that I skipped my classes. However, there was one commitment that I refused to skip: covering an event for The Signal. The event wasn’t a big story by any means, but I was a new staff writer and didn’t want to let down my editors (who definitely would’ve encouraged me skip the event if I had told them I was sick).
I went to the event, conducted interviews, took photos and wrote my story. By the next afternoon, I was at Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell getting prepared to have an emergency appendectomy. What I thought was food poisoning was actually my appendix getting ready to burst.
Flash forward to fall 2025, and poor food quality was still a hot-topic. As a journalist, I was in a unique position to actually do something about this issue. My editor at an internship I was pursuing (which I got because of the editorial experience I gained at The Signal) encouraged me to investigate whether on-campus dining locations were abiding by health department standards. Numerous were not.
This was one of many stories that allowed me to bring light to issues and real, human stories. Having the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds, communities and even geographic regions has been a wonderful experience.
One of the first things I learned in my Introduction to Journalism course was that it’s best journalistic practice to avoid clichés when writing articles. I’m choosing to ignore that right now to say that The Signal has been my home for the past four years.
I remember my first interaction with Signal editors. It was my freshman year fall semester in The Signal’s old Forcina Hall office. The editor-in-chief gave a brief talk about the paper to my Intro class and explained how he made it to the highest position.
To 18-year-old me, who had never even heard of AP Style, a spot on The Signal’s editorial board seemed out of reach. But once I began writing articles every week as a staff writer, I knew I wanted to make it to the top. What I didn’t know was that I’d be making the climb with so many amazing people.
I’ve taken classes with journalism professor Kathleen Webber nearly every semester during my time at the College. She taught me everything from how to master an anecdotal lede to how to sleuth for sources. Along with teaching tons of classes, Webber has served as The Signal’s advisor during my time here.
She has been a mentor when I’ve needed guidance, and is always one of my biggest cheerleaders. Most of all, though, Webber has been the heart of journalism at the College. She makes every class, meeting and interaction enjoyable, no matter the subject matter or time of day. I hope to grow up to be the kind of person she is.
Two more of my role models are also two of my best friends. When I joined The Signal’s editorial board, I clicked with Ally Uhlendorf and Matthew Kaufman immediately. These are two incredible journalists who have taught me tons about reporting and editing. They’re also so fun to be around.
Some of my favorite Signal memories are with these two former EIC’s. Ally and I can hardly be in a room together without laughing. This made joint interviews 10 times harder, but 20 times more fun. Matt and I can hang out and yap for hours, which is probably why I never get stories done around him (I wouldn’t want it any other way).
Thank you, Ally and Matt, for setting the EIC-ing bar high, and for always being by my side.
As I stepped into the EIC role, I had my lovely friends and managing editors Eddie Young and Alena Bitonti by my side.
Eddie has kept me grounded throughout our time in The Signal. I can always count on him to give honest feedback or crack the funniest joke I’ve ever heard. Alena is a beam of light — her energy lights up every room she is in. She has always been a great writer and editor, but this semester I have loved watching her grow even more. With Alena taking over as EIC, I know this paper is in great hands.
Last, but certainly not least, I’ve been lucky to work with an editorial board full of extremely talented creators. When Eddie, Alena and I chose this board, we knew we had a great staff. Our expectations were exceeded over and over. I am so thankful to have worked with the most fantastic team.
All this to say, being a part of The Signal has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I will forever cherish the friendships, connections and opportunities this organization gave me. I love this paper and I can’t wait to see the great things it has in store for the future.
