When I assigned my staff to write pieces about why they work at the Iowa State Daily for News Engagement Day, I was expecting well-written articles about their current roles and responsibilities.

While I was right about them being well-written and a lot of them discussing their current jobs, almost all of them additionally discussed their personal journeys and the deep love they have for journalism, the Iowa State Daily and serving their community.

I couldn’t help but smile ear-to-ear while reading the work of my editors, and to be honest, they made me tear up a bit. 

So when I sat down to write this article about why I am in the position I am today, the main thing that came to mind was the articles my editors wrote.

I truly love my job because every single day I get to work with passionate, hardworking and dedicated individuals who are full-time-students, work two jobs and sometimes spend upwards of 50 hours a week in the newsroom. Even when they are exhausted, they hardly complain and still give 100 percent effort to the greatest public service one could ever do. 

I see the time and care they put into writing stories and teaching their reporters. Seeing writers grow into themselves and learn new things is one of my favorite parts of the job. 

As a staff, we see each other on our worst days— the days when we have been up for almost 24 hours straight, doing our homework while sending work emails and leaving the newsroom in the early hours of the morning. 

But we also see each other on our best days— the days when we are the first to break major news, when our stories get shared like crazy on social media and when we see our reporters blossom while covering an event. 

So, while most of the other news engagement articles you will read are the editors talking about themselves, mine is about them. I think they deserve to know they are the reason that I love my job more than anything. My staff is my family. I get to know the people behind the bylines that you see in our paper, and I consider myself the luckiest person to have that opportunity each and every day.