3 minute read
Letter from the Editor
from Ponder Magazine
Life is about taking risks and living to the fullest. It is about walking through the doors that open up opportunities. It entails embracing the possibility of falling and getting hurt while on the journey to make it to the top. This drive, this want, this passion fuels me. However, if someone would have told me that my senior year at Black Hills State University would encompass me being the Editor-In-Chief for a brand-new magazine, I would have replied with, ‘I’m not a writer.’ Well, nearly a year later, I am proud to say that I said yes to that open door.
Through this willingness to say, ‘yes, I want to do this,’ my eyes have been opened to a new perspective on life and journalism. I have witnessed that a blank page allows for the possibility to tell one’s story and how using the instrument of words can express emotions and raw honesty that make us human.
This opportunity is something I will forever be grateful for. Through this process, I have met people from all different backgrounds, ideologies and cultures that make them who they are. I have heard a range of stories that made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe, to experiences that made me wish I wore waterproof mascara that day. I have been enlightened to see each person in a different light as they embrace the joy, pain, achievement, passion and hard work that makes them human.
The magazine, Ponder, is not just pages of articles and photographs. Rather, it is an invitation for readers to be introduced to people across the Midwest and their lifestyles. It provides readers with the opportunity to dive into a new perspective of human interest and how the ‘average joe’ is more than just a person you may nonchalantly pass on the street. It allows one to see that each person is unique and different; but also, how each person has something in common — a willingness to say yes to something. Whether that yes is to a risk in a new business or a yes to see friends. This willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone has allowed us to be innovative, adapt and be open to possibilities.
This journey would not have been possible without my team and the support of professors Allen Morris and Skott Chandler. Thank you especially to Ashley, Hope and Rylan, for your hard work and willingness to also say yes to this opportunity. I am so grateful to have met each and every one of you. You are all more than just a team but are now people who I call my friends. Thank you also to my biggest support and the ones I love the most, my family. Joe and Jacob, thanks for being the best brothers a sister could ask for. And a huge shout out to my mom, Brenda. Thank you for showing me the strength to keep pushing forward. You have been such a role model of unbreakable strength while raising three kids as a single mom and I hope to have just a fraction of perseverance that you do. Last— but certainly not least—thank you so, so much Dr. Justin Bergh. Thank you for being the leader and support I needed. I would not have grown at the rate I have in the past year without your trust in me. The time has finally come, we did it and I am proud to be part of Ponder.
Bridget Schneller, Editor-in-Chief
