It has been a great privilege of mine to contribute to the Bacc Rag as a writer and editor over the past five years.
I remember so clearly the first time I, a tiny, terrified eighth grader, was sent to interview upperclassmen and teachers for an article. One of my first assignments was asking several seniors to reflect on the college application process, and I recall thinking about how far away college seemed, and how scary the seniors were, and how long it would be before I would finally graduate from BSGE.
It definitely went by faster than I could ever have imagined. Graduating seems surreal, but so does leaving behind this newspaper, which, although at times can be crazy and dysfunctional (I know the staff will agree with me) is so full of life and spunk. I’ve poured my heart into the Bacc Rag during my time at BSGE, and I can only hope that I have done half as much for this newspaper as it has done for me.
I’ve been to journalism conferences at Harvard and Columbia with Lydia Stetson, Erin Camia, and Samantha Calpo, as well as the next generation of writers and leaders like Moshan Guo and Justin Hamlin. I’ve chased down countless students and teachers to grab quotes to include in a last-minute article. I’ve spent too many late nights working on the layout of upcoming issues (and I’m ashamed to say I still need to work on my Adobe InDesign skills). But I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world. I cannot separate my experience with the Bacc Rag from my time at BSGE; the two are and always will be inextricably linked in my mind and heart.
I have many people to thank for helping me serve the newspaper to the best of my ability. Shout out to my parents for teaching me how to write and edit! A big thank you to Erin, Samantha and Lydia, under whose leadership I grew into a better editor myself. Thank you to my young, talented staff for always keeping me on my toes, and especially Justin and Moshan – I can’t wait to see you lead next year. Finally, thank you Mr. Lakhaney for your endless support, guidance, and ideas. The Bacc Rag would not be the Bacc Rag without you, and I and the rest of the school community are deeply grateful for your supervision and leadership. I certainly would not be here today if you had not encouraged me to write for the newspaper.
It feels strange to think that the next time my name will appear in an issue will be next to a “Word From the Real World” (I’ve been waiting years to write one!). The Bacc Rag will always have a special place in my heart, and while I am sad to be wrapping up my final issue as editor, I am also excited to see where this publication will go next. Take care, and good luck!
Yours truly,
Maya Juman ‘16
The BACC Rag 