I transferred to Fordham University in the fall of 2023. I didn’t know anyone here, and didn’t meet anyone new until I joined The Fordham Ram as a copy editor in the spring of 2024. The lessons that Fordham has taught me, along with my experiences at The Fordham Ram, will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Before coming to Fordham, I would often ask myself, “What does it mean to be excellent?” As a soon-to-be graduate, I now ask myself, “What does it mean to be excellent toward others?” I have found that the answer to this question lies in how we treat others on a daily basis, and whether the decisions we make serve a higher purpose.
My experiences as a member of The Fordham Ram have exemplified just that.
Every issue, I am proud of our staff for putting out content that accurately reflects the diverse voices and opinions of the Fordham student body. We have been an outlet for students on campus who wish to share their lives in New York City through our culture section. We have enabled students to voice their opinions and ideas for making Fordham a better place through our opinion section. We have also served as a platform to celebrate our athletes at Fordham and allow our fellow sports fanatics on campus to write about their passions.
Through this, I believe The Fordham Ram and the purpose we serve at this university exemplify our Jesuit values of cura personalis.
We let our students know, through our actions, that they are valued. We let them know their diverse perspectives matter. That they are cherished by the community at this school and that they are part of what makes Fordham great.
However, none of this is possible without the staff that we are so blessed to have as part of our team on The Fordham Ram. To our opinion editors, I thank you for pitching articles to our students that reflect our diverse community. I thank our culture editors for coming up with niche and cool ideas in an effort to get our students to interact with New York City. To our sports editors, I thank you for your active coverage of the fantastic athletic programs we are fortunate to have here. To our news editors, thank you for covering Fordham events actively and accurately, while still giving credit where it is due. Last, but not least, I thank our copy team for ensuring our articles are clear while still accurately reflecting student voices.
To our fantastic E-Board team, I thank you for your resilience, intelligence and ability to hold journalistic integrity even when it is difficult. To Nora, thank you for being my friend and for always making me laugh when life gets tough. To Sophie, thank you for your friendship and for all the hard work you have done to ensure our paper meets professional standards. Jonah, thank you for being my sidekick, joke buddy and most importantly, for accurately and fairly representing all of our opinions through our weekly editorials.
My time at The Fordham Ram has been nothing short of a blessing. It has served as a guiding force for me in understanding what it means to be excellent towards others. It has allowed me to embody the Jesuit principles I hold dear, which I hope will guide me in my next journey in life.
Jacob Wolfer, FCRH ’26, is an English and history major from Fairfax, Virginia.
