My education at the University of Pennsylvania is cleanly severed into two eras: BDP and ADP, also known as before The Daily Pennsylvanian and after the DP. I joined the DP at a time most student journalists would consider late: my junior year, and with it came a sharp change to my life.
Before officially becoming an upperclassman, I was ensconced on a crinkled leather sofa in the Kelly Writers House, writing movie reviews for The Penn Moviegoer and making short films with Bent Button Productions, believing that my world of extracurriculars was complete. I am immensely grateful for those clubs, which proved to be instrumental in my education, but now having spent every Tuesday at 4015 Walnut St. for the Sports department meetings, I cannot imagine my life had I not stepped into the Pink Palace.
I walked into my first sports GBM not knowing that I was the oldest person in the room by almost a year. Because of my gap year I entered the familiar paradox of having the most seniority in terms of age, but least in terms of ranking or experience. I sat down in the Silver conference room surrounded by strangers and started mingling — also my least favorite activity. It felt like there was a tattoo on my head: “POSER.” Surely someone would discover my utter lack of experience in sports journalism, which seemed unacceptable as a junior. First year is the year for learning, but junior year? I felt eons behind.
I quickly discovered that no one cared about my age or my lack of experience. It took some of my friends months to discover that I was two-to-three years older than them — my internal immaturity helps me blend in.
My first article — not including the traditional “15 Questions” article designed to introduce rookies to interviewing — was an introduction to first years on the women’s basketball team. Between the interviews and the writing process, I made it up as I went along. My writing must have passed the test, because before long I was tasked with writing a profile of Penn’s Athletic Director Alanna Wren, my first non-recap and biggest article at that point.
Profiling Wren was like waking up from a nightmare (a mild one, to be fair). I was free to write as many words as I wanted — a future issue for my editors, who folded to my reign of terror over word counts — and discovered that I loved writing about people and strongly disliked game recaps.
Within the first few months of joining DPOSTM (DP’s Only Section That Matters), DP sports’ self-coined nickname, I started randomly showing up on production nights, first because of the free food, but eventually because I adored the frantic vibe of the office, innocently eavesdropping on conversations, and learning more about the people who would become eventual close friends. Wednesday nights at the Pink Palace, supplemented with Papa John’s for nourishment, quickly became a routine, and before long it was an abnormality if I wasn’t there — despite my being a nonessential member of the DP.
In retrospect, I unintentionally infiltrated the Sports department, and they let me. I became part of conversations that didn’t involve me, just for the fun of it, and I learned about stories months in the making. This may sound trivial, but in the journalism world it signifies trust. Without fully trying I had found a group of friends that welcomed me without question — something I had been searching for throughout my first two years at college.
Now two years later, at the end of my senior year of college, I struggle to imagine how I would have thrived without the support of the DP. Though I had some journalism experience prior to joining the DP, this experience completely opened my eyes to my potential to write professionally. Suddenly, becoming a writer wasn’t as far off a dream as it used to be.
Many alumni of the DP like to joke that while at Penn, “they majored in the DP.” I used to laugh it off along with my peers, considering it a cheesy line, but I now realize its truth. It’s truly impossible to put into words what I have learned while at this organization. I may not be a “lifer” like roughly 75% of the people at the paper, but like a college major, it has impacted my life just as much. Not only did I become a much better writer, I found a community, a place of belonging.
With each unforgettable memory formed via the DP, from filming a “Pros vs. Joes” ice hockey video when I had no idea how to skate to unexpectedly winning the Sports department MVP award at our annual banquet, I chastise myself and think, “Why didn’t I join the paper sooner?” I’m certainly not alone in this sentiment, with my DP friends also saying, “Where have you been?” or “Where were you before?” Maybe I wasn’t ready for the DP. Maybe the DP wasn’t ready for me. Or maybe, just maybe, I forgot that Penn had a student newspaper.
Whatever the reason, I’m so glad it doesn’t matter. As I graduate, I feel like a DP veteran, someone who has wandered the office halls for ages, and people treat me as such, proving that it really is never too late to start something you love.
To the incoming freshmen, hesitant sophomores, self-conscious juniors, and the stray seniors who want last minute journalism experience, take my word for it and please join the DP. There is space for everyone, and it is guaranteed to provide you with incredible friends.
To my family (including my grandparents): Thank you for always reading my articles and sending me feedback — even if it wasn’t always positive — and thank you for always requesting paper copies on the occasion that I appear in print. I now have nine physical copies of my Wren profile in a random tote bag.
Last but not least, to my beyond wonderful editors and friends: Caleb, Alexis, Walker, Vivian, Sean, and Valeri. Thank you for always being honest with me and encouraging my writing, even when I turned in a shitty basketball recap. The DP, I love you. What a ride it’s been.
PHOEBE WEINTRAUB is a College senior studying English and cinema studies. She served as an associate sports writer at The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Her email is phowein@sas.upenn.edu.
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