LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Reader,

I love this magazine. I love everything about it. I love seeing my name in it. I remember running my fingers across the byline when the first article I ever published came out. Over the years, my name has become a resident of the byline and has nestled itself under different sections as an editor. Now, mine is the first name on the masthead, under Editor-in-Chief. My heart skips a beat every time I see the cloister O and turn the glossy pages.

I suppose it is only fitting that my first issue as editor-in-chief is published on Valentine’s Day, a love letter to this magazine.

I love making this magazine. I even love the MAB LAB, for all its off-grey, sparsely furnished, windowless glory. I love the button that I get to press every time a staff member arrives, even though it just broke. I love the weird little attic above Curtis Hall because every other Monday and Tuesday, the staff of the O lives here. And more than anything, I love the people sitting around me, crouched in corners and lying on their jackets.

The people that are packed into this space make me proud with every pitch that they send, every grammatical error they catch, and every tab that they format. Even into the early hours of the morning, sounds of laughter, typing, and cheers fill the space. The love lingers, even when almost everyone has left.

Whenever I pick up a copy of the Observer neatly stacked in the Campus Center, I see everyone who has put a piece of themselves into this magazine. All 127 years of staff members that came before us and all of the ones that have yet to come make this magazine a loving home.

This is also a letter from me to you, dear reader. A valentine, if you will. Without you, our words would just be ink. The stories we work so hard to uncover would just be a shout into the void. All the art we’ve made would just be pretty colors. So I love you too, dear reader, for listening.

Before I end my love letter, I want to say thank you to a couple of very dear readers in particular:

To Katelyn and Sarrah, my dear housemates and best friends, for being patient with me, supporting me in everything, and for always opening our home to the staff of this magazine.

To Mira, for being my layout buddy, co-editor, social chair, and best friend. Come back soon.

To my friends in Amsterdam, for growing up with me, always welcoming me back with love, and reminding me to not become too ‘Americanized’ (ik doe mijn best!).

To my parents, for always telling me I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to, passing down your love of letters, and for your love, always.

To the staff of this magazine, for trusting me with your words and your art, for your creativity and talent, for making this magazine with me. To Owen, Myisha, Bota, and Josie, only now do I feel like I can truly appreciate all you’ve done. Lastly, to Sabah, Julia, and Bao, for figuring it out with me.

I love you all.

Happy Valentines Day!

With love and in power,

Aroha Mackay.