I do not have an uncomplicated love for The Daily Pennsylvanian. But joining it during my first year changed the course of my life.
The DP introduced me to people who spent their college years serving in the selfless role of archivists, capturing moments in Penn and the country’s history with diligence and care. DP editors taught me how to be a better writer and listener, the most valuable skills with which I’m leaving Penn. I’m grateful for the conversations the DP forced me to have with other students, asking me to reckon with the harm stories can cause and understand the enduring importance of independent student media.
By giving me a voice, the DP forced me to consider what I wanted to say, especially when the role required me to remain impartial. The DP asked me to be a fly on the wall during some of Penn’s most important moments in the past four years. It asked me to be a narrator, an observer, and a listener. To extract quotes, ideas, and perspectives. In the face of complexity, it asked me to synthesize and distill the most important information. It asked me to be neutral, a position that felt and still feels impossible. It asked me to be a reporter first, and a member of a community second. Neutrality in the name of service can feel hollow and meaningless.
After stepping back from editing during my junior year, I joined The Mask and Wig Club and helped build sets for four absurd but hilarious shows. I completed my fine arts minor and organized my classes around climate and energy policy. I started new jobs on campus that allowed me to write and encouraged me to infuse my worldview into my articles. I worked in federal policy and on renewable energy, setting myself up for a career aligned with my beliefs and values.
Thank you to the DP’s reporters and editors for their time, laughter, late nights, election watch parties, brutal edits, and investment in me. It may not have been the only place for me at Penn, but it will always be one of the most important and formative parts of my experience here.
I hope you are all lucky enough to find a place at Penn that challenges you, forces you to discover your values, and then gives you the tools and opportunity to stand by them — even if that means leaving.
ELEA CASTIGLIONE is a College senior studying philosophy, politics & economics and sustainability and environmental management, from San Diego, Calif. She served as administration desk editor on the 140th Internal Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian. Her email is eleac@sas.upenn.edu.
