As the Multimedia Director for The Fordham Ram, I get a lot of questions about how I came to be in this position. People’s looks of confusion when they find out I am on the Ram staff are entirely reasonable to me, as I am a biology major on the pre-med track. Their common inquisitions seldom surprise me anymore. We know ourselves and our interests. Many people find it difficult to imagine that these two things are not mutually exclusive, but this should not matter. Don’t simplify yourself and your interests for the sake of others’ understanding.

My journey with the Ram began at my freshman year club fair. At this point, all I knew was that I wanted to pursue my love for photography. Serendipitously, I heard someone yelling, “Come join the Ram, photographers and anyone with photoshop experience wanted!” And that was it. 

Three years later, I’m now writing this to fulfill my occasional column contributing duties — something I genuinely never expected to have the opportunity to do. Throughout my tour here I’ve served as the assistant photo editor, the photo editor, the visual director and now the multimedia director. I’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with some amazing people along the way, creating papers and social media posts every week that I’m beyond proud of. 

Joining the Ram was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and if I could, I would do it all over again. Having a club outside of my major has truly saved my sanity. I arrived at college with the idea that I would be engulfed in the field of STEM, both in my classes and extracurriculars. This idea changed when I was given a new perspective during my freshman year pre-med advising course. One of the seniors who had survived the gauntlet of Fordham pre-med told me multiple times to “pursue interests outside of your major.” This advice seemed like a silly notion until I joined the Ram. Having a place to retreat to twice a week and immerse myself in work that I enjoy and am proud of has been incredibly rewarding. Don’t get me wrong, I love my shifts at FUEMS and all of my STEM classes, but seeing the same classmates in my clubs, along with using the same knowledge and skills from class, gets exhausting after a while. 

Coming to production night, I am suddenly surrounded by a passionate group of people with a vast range of majors, whether it be journalism, economics, women’s studies and so on. This academic range gave me an entirely new perspective on the college experience while letting the creative side of my brain run wild alongside all the wonderful staff members I’ve had the privilege of working with. Leaving production night, I always feel refreshed and proud of the work I’ve accomplished, because it isn’t for my major, my resume or my med school application; the work is for me and the life of the paper. I am truly so proud of the issue we collectively create each week. Being able to hold the physical fruits of our labor every Wednesday afternoon in the pages of the printed paper brings me indescribable joy. 

After meeting so many amazingly talented and wonderful people along my journey, as well as seeing the passion and love they pour into each issue, it is no surprise that we’ve been printing for just over 103 years now. The Ram is a truly special place, and the memories made in room B-52 will forever be etched into my brain. I want to thank everyone who made the newspaper and my experience creating it so, so special. I have learned so much from my fellow staff members, and I have been lucky enough to impart my own knowledge and skills on new staff members starting out their journey. I will always have a place in my heart for the 11-by-17 paper we create each and every week.

So I urge you, if you’re on the fence about joining a club because it doesn’t apply to your major, go join that club! If you are worried pursuing a hobby of yours will interfere with your studies, go pursue that hobby! Following what you love is incredibly important. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and make more amazing memories than you ever thought possible along the way.