Welcome Back Crusaders,

I’m Elizabeth Petruso coming to you with my last article for Crusader Nation. I remember watching the broadcast as a freshman and saying, “I want to do that!” While others in my advisory would talk over it, I was always intrigued by Crusader Nation News. So when I got the chance to train for the broadcast as a sophomore in Journalism, I jumped at the opportunity. I quickly fell in love with journalistic-style writing, being a part of the broadcast and sharing news with my Crusader Family; yet, I never could have guessed that I would be here as the Editor-in-Chief and head anchor of Crusader Nation News saying my final goodbyes to the program.

What I’ve learned from St. Dominic goes further than mask mandates and how to deal with close contact. Being a senior during COVID-19, especially in the journalism department, I have learned so many lessons that I can use within and beyond the classroom. COVID has taught me to enjoy it all.

Senior year hasn’t been exactly as I expected with precautions and restrictions, but I came to school every day trying to find the good and enjoy each opportunity I was given to enjoy my last year at St. Dominic. The mindset of appreciating even the smallest of things is one that I hope to continue throughout my entire life. COVID has taught me about prioritizing what’s truly important—spending all my time stressing about tests or my GPA shouldn’t be my number one priority, but instead soaking up time with my friends and family and creating memories at St. Dominic.

Journalism specifically has taught me more than how to edit an article and read from a teleprompter. From filming the broadcast in my house during COVID, I learned to adapt, work under pressure and persevere in the hardest of times. Being the Editor-in-Chief has taught me to give constructive criticism (and passive aggressive texts), as well as how to manage my time (though I’m still working on that part).

I am honored to be a part of such a special department and cannot wait to see it grow in the new STEM building. I cannot thank Mr. Duncan and the journalism department enough for giving me a space to learn and grow and teaching me the importance of sharing stories. What a gift it is that we are able to share the ups and downs of our world and community with the rest of St. Dominic. I

want to thank Max Williams and all my other Crusader Nation News co-anchors from throughout the years. Though I struggled with the consistent 7am mornings to film, I always loved and looked forward to the broadcast. From Entertainment with Elizabeth to Spirit Week Specials, it was always a blast to laugh behind the scenes and create the weekly broadcast.

Check out my last broadcast at: https://youtu.be/qB7BE03Q7Ow! Thank you to everyone who reads our staff’s incredible articles and watches the weekly broadcast. I know that the journalism content can sometimes be pushed to the side and disregarded, so I appreciate those who spend their time looking at our work.

Journalism has changed my life. I’m sad to say goodbye to filming the broadcast and watching an article come to life from an idea, but I can’t wait to see what is to come for this booming department.

Finally, I’m Elizabeth Petruso,

Senior Editor-in-Chief and Head Broadcast Anchor,

Signing off.