On Wednesday, Jan. 30, newsrooms from across the country will celebrate Student Press Freedom Day. Instead of just telling you what the Iowa State Daily means to us, we asked for testimonials from former and current staff to tell you what our college newspaper means to them. Here’s just a few:

The Iowa State Daily has impacted our community in more ways than one. Some of these ways include being inclusive to those with different backgrounds, as well as trying their best to make sure they are able to represent everyone. When I first started off as a columnist for the opinion section, I was able to freely express myself covering the topic I enjoyed the most: Literature. There wasn’t a single moment during my time at the Daily that I didn’t feel excited for my next column.

Furthermore, as my time progressed at the Daily I was given the opportunity to become the opinion editor, where I was able to have a say on how I feel about certain issues that involve not only our community, but our country as well. Being involved with opinion has proven to me and hopefully to others as well that everyone’s opinion matters and deserves to be heard. Iowa State Daily has taught me skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my career no matter which path I end up taking.

— Melanie De Anda, opinion editor

When I think about the Iowa State Daily and student-press in general, many thoughts begin to circulate throughout my head.

With this being my first year as a student at Iowa State and a first-year reporter at the Daily, some people might think that I am incapable of truly knowing at this point in time my love for student journalism and especially the Daily, considering how young I am.

Those people would be wrong.

I can say without a doubt that working for the Iowa State Daily has been and will continue to be the best part of my time here at Iowa State University.

To me, journalism is about giving your audience the information they deserve to know about any given topic. That could be student government, new university policies, or even analysis from the biggest football game of the year.

Journalism is the greatest service that any student can provide for his or her university in my opinion. As a reporter at the Daily, I have seen and felt how important I am to my school. I feel so proud of the work I do for the Iowa State Daily because I know that each story I write and every event I cover will lead to one of my peers becoming informed, which is something this world needs now more than ever before.

The fact that I can inform and bring to life new stories for my friends and classmates here at ISU is addicting.

Crazy how quick addiction can set in when it comes to being a reporter at the Daily. You become a junkie for news and want to be the first to give that information to your other classmates. If I didn’t care about my job and getting relevant and valuable information out to the school, then my university would be a lesser version of itself.

This first year working for the Daily has been the best experience of my life. I get to become the trusted voice people can turn to when news breaks or when further analysis is needed. That’s how I know that what I do for the Iowa State Daily is important.

Journalism is vital on a campus environment and I am so lucky that the Iowa State Daily is right where I am.

Without the Daily, we would all be less informed and would have very little individuals to trust on such a big campus like this.

I hope to write for the Daily until the day I graduate and I know that every second I spend working for them and for this university’s students will lead me to become the successful journalist I strive to be someday.

And you can thank the Iowa State Daily for that possibility.

— Matt Belinson, sports reporter

As a political cartoonist with the Iowa State Daily, I was given almost free rein to toe the line of the first amendment. And when I crossed that line, my editors would gently pull me back; it was a practical — and eye-opening — experience in not just free speech, but how to exercise responsible free speech.

The experience also taught me to understand readers better so I knew just how far I could push that first amendment line with certain audiences.

— Carmen Cerra, alumni

I was at the Daily from 2002-2004 and I would not be the journalist I am today without that experience. I was set to go into science or magazine writing, but once I stepped foot into the office (then at Hamilton Hall) and did my first story, I feel like I never left. It was there I learned to edit, lead and report on breaking news. I learned how to craft narratives and manage projects and professors like Spoon and Emmerson showed me how to coach people. I also met some of the best friends of my life there. My career has spanned all sorts of places, from newspaper to digital, from startups to national and international coverage. Today I’m a director for audience innovation at the Arizona Republic and I’ve covered riots, human rights, shootings, terrorism and immigration. I’ve been on camera. I’ve coded. I’ve written (a lot) and spoken to audiences of various sizes. I never would have done any of this, ever, without the Daily.

— P. Kim Bui, alumni

I’ve worked at the Daily for three years now, so I guess I have some perspective on journalism and stuff.

The Daily is pretty dope. I’ve gotten to cover two bowl games, two Big 12 basketball tournaments, countless games, practices and more. The Iowa State Daily is about 99 percent responsible for the internship I got last summer — the last three interns they’ve had are all from the Daily, so clearly this newsroom and the people in it are doing something right.

We’re not always perfect, but the students who work at the Daily all genuinely care about informing their readers. Whether it means sitting through three hours of meetings on a Sunday, doing nine-hour training days before each semester or working in the newsroom until 2 a.m. with class the next morning, everyone at the Daily goes above and beyond every day.

I’m really proud of the work I’ve been fortunate enough to do at the Daily, and hopefully generations of students to come can have a similar experience to mine.

— Aaron Marner, sports editor

A free press starts with a student press free from administration oversight. As my journalism career developed, two things became obvious: People in authority often worry about public relations more than their public, and student journalists required to submit stories to administrators for approval before publication are unprepared for professional journalism. Because The Daily publishes independently of Iowa State’s administration, student journalists learn how to find the truth. The Daily produces journalists able to question authority, bring healthy skepticism to the answers, and educate the public. Trustworthy professional news organizations need these skills. Our democracy needs these skills.

— Brien Murphy, alumni

Since joining the Daily in the fall of 2018 I have transitioned from being an academics reporter, specifically for the College of Human Sciences, to being the new student life editor as of this spring semester 2019.

Through reporting I have opened myself up to people, organizations and ideas that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience. One of my favorite aspects of working at the Daily has been performing interviews with students, faculty and Iowa residents. Interviewing has improved my ability to communicate with others and made me more confident in group settings. It has also introduced me to some very kind people doing amazing things.

One story that really stuck with me was a visit to One Heart Equestrian Therapy where I had the opportunity to interview the owner and tour the amazing new property just outside of Ames. While on the tour I saw beautiful horses and a breath-taking landscape very different from the campus buildings I’m used to seeing. Most of all I got to experience the level of dedication and love that goes into One Heart, and I left feeling that same aura of love and inclusion the whole drive home.

I love working at the Daily and being a part of the community that is the newsroom, even on those very late nights, and I can’t wait to see what new experiences this job will lead me to next.

— Alexis Myszka, student life editor

The Iowa State Daily is a student-run newspaper but also a family. We work as a family, each photographer, reporter and editor flowing together to serve the community of Ames and Iowa State. We don’t just focus on what is happening, we look at who the “what” is affecting and how we can tell that story.

Being the LGBTQIA+ reporter I have the honor of telling the story of an amazing and truly diverse community. One of the most important stories I have written was about pronouns and how Iowa State lacked space on business cards for them. I talked with members of LGBTQIA+ leadership at Iowa State as well as researched what it takes to create a business card through Iowa State. I found that there was no spot in the template for pronouns and the only way to add pronouns to a business card involves spending extra money to put them on the back of the card. After I put all of this information in my story and it was published, the campus office in charge of business cards has promised to look into a way of changing their template.

This kind of change is why small newspapers like the Iowa State Daily are important. The family it creates can look into the deep stories that can affect a community for the better. A change for the better I am happy and proud to help with.

— Logan Metzger, LGBTQIA+ reporter

The Iowa State Daily has taught me more about writing and journalism than any class or homework assignment ever has. I don’t see myself writing for a news publication later in in life, but my time as a reporter and editor has absolutely prepared me for success after graduation.

It’s kind of difficult to point out the defining moments in my life, but I think signing up for the Daily was one of them. I’ve given up almost all of my free time and spent hundreds of long hours in our newsroom, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I’ve yet to find the “job of my dreams,” or the perfect fit for me after graduation. That said, I know having “Editor at the Iowa State Daily” on my résumé is what’s going to help me get it.

 — Alexander Gray, Limelight editor

Walking into the newsroom for the first time was a whirlwind of adventure. People were running around trying to put a paper together and in the corner were the design peeps. This team was built of students with an interest in design. Learning about how to design a paper for consumers to read stories easily and prevent walls of text is a difficult process. Once I figured out how to design for readers and use a grid layout I was the star of the newsroom. These skills helped me to understand the concept of other forms of design I specialize in such as: animation, website design, photography, illustration, poster design, etc. Working for the daily has given me many opportunities to learn to become a leader who can work proficiently with a team to create the best outcome for a situation.

— Sarah Estes, layout manager

My journey throughout my collegiate days has left me in tears, sweat and joy, and the Iowa State Daily has some part in it.

The Daily has served as a place to escape from things and once there was a time it was a place I avoided.

I did not ignore it for long; little did I know it had all the things I was looking for.

I’ve been writing since I can remember and I wanted to incorporate my love for it somehow in my professional career.

The Daily has showed me how I can and what it truly means within communities.

The Daily has shown me the importance of newspapers serving their communities.

Within the community that the Daily serves, our readers and I have been introduced to each of the different backgrounds, creeds, religions, races, genders and sexual orientations.

Not only has my opportunity at the Daily opened my eyes to the world around, but it has opened my eyes to the differences and the beauties that are tagged along with the differences.

No two persons are the same and that’s what makes everyone different.

I think my proudest moment is that my time at the Daily has helped me realize my true passion.

I am a self-made storyteller and there are more stories to tell, and now everyday I wake up looking forward to the next one.

— Whitney Mason, Voices editor

Working at the Iowa State Daily allows me to be involved with my university in a way that few have the opportunity to do. I get to interact with administration, students, faculty and organizations on a personal level every week. These connections I make let me learn a tremendous amount about Iowa State and its community, and in turn I get to help educate the public. There is so much that goes on in the day-to-day workings of Iowa State that the general community does not get to hear about. But by being a college newspaper we get to report on everything from breaking news to graduate research and we get to recognize what is going on at every level at Iowa State.

The best thing about student media is in the name; we get to tell stories about students. That’s why what we do at the Iowa State Daily is so important. We get to focus on all parts of the colleges and the Iowa State community, not just the seemingly “most important” events. We get to cover all of it. I spend the majority of the hours of my week in a student newsroom, and I would not want it any other way. I get to work in an environment that challenges the way I think and helps me grow not only as as journalist, but as a person.

— Annie Wells, academics editor

I don’t want to be a journalist, but the Daily has been here for me nonetheless. Through my three, going on four, semesters at the Daily I have found an organization and a group of people that have helped me grow, develop and become who I am now.

For me, this development came through the processes of journalism. Whether it was gathering information, finding sources, creating relationships or writing stories, every step in the process has given me a deeper connection to Ames, but I don’t always do it right.

Journalists often forget — myself included — that in the pursuit of helping the community, we ignore the voices of the community itself. I saw this in my own writing as a politics reporter and later as an editor when covering the people making the rules rather than the people affected by them.

This idea — that we should all think about ideas and policy within the framing of “people first” — is a universal truth and a life skill I hope to improve no matter where I go.

Again, as someone who doesn’t want to enter a journalistic career, I feel like I have the basis to say I work at the Daily for more than the skills I develop: I work here for the people I see every day in the newsroom, the late nights creating a paper, the endless discussions and the community we have developed within the larger Ames community. I want to serve them both.

— Devyn Leeson, managing editor of print content

It’s not a cliché if it’s true… the Iowa State Daily made me the designer and journalist I am today. Over my four years working at the Daily, I learned valuable technical skills that I continue to use as a professional designer. More importantly, I learned what it means to be accountable to your peers, your mentors, the audience you serve and the work you’re doing. Because at the end of a deadline, if you’re not proud of the product going out, what’s the point? Within the walls of the Iowa State Daily, I learned to trust my crazy ideas, ask for help when I need it and always expect the unexpected. Three lessons that I still rely on more than 10 years later.

Best,

— Megan Steenson, alumni

I’m a sportswriter. It’s what I love to do, and it’s a service that I feel is vital to communities all around the country. One story our paper, the Iowa State Daily, covered this past September is one moment that will stick with me.

There’s nothing that gives a reporter a shock more than covering a death. Normally, lots of reporters do not experience covering a death when they’re in the realm of sports reporting (such as myself). But something happened in mid-September of this year that shook me to the core and, despite the emotional toll it took, reinforced every thought I had about becoming a reporter and wanting this to be my profession.

The death of former Iowa State women’s golfer and student Celia Barquin Arozamena occurred on a Monday morning. The news broke that a body had been found on the Coldwater Golf Links, and the news desk at the Iowa State Daily got on the story right away. However, over in the sports desk, it wasn’t really in our authority at the time. So, we went along with our normal coverage of Iowa State athletics, keeping an eye on the situation from afar but thinking it was somewhat distanced from us.

It wasn’t until they made the stunning announcement of Celia’s body being found at 10:30 at night that we had any knowledge of who the victim was. It knocked the entire newspaper on its behind, and a flurry of phone calls, Slack messages and Twitter direct messages headed my way.

I was called in at 11 p.m. to write a story eulogizing the fallen golfer, a life taken far before her time. There is nothing that can truly prepare a person for writing a story about a murder victim. I struggled to find the words to aptly describe her career. The story was written that night but, as I went home, I had no idea what the next 48 hours would entail for me.

The following Tuesday’s weekly press conference with head football coach Matt Campbell and players was decidedly muted. Nobody wanted to be there, and nobody wanted to write anything about football. Our jobs were secondary. Just hours afterward was the hardest moment of my reporting life: covering an emotional Jamie Pollard press conference as the Cyclones’ athletic director described how the school found out about Celia’s demise and how the school would move forward. Writing two stories after those pressers was a very surreal moment.

It helped me realize how important reporters are to society, even for something as escapist as sports. I plan on spending as much time in my career as I possibly can covering sports, because it was my first love as a young man and it’s what I love to write about. But sports can’t keep all of us from the harsh realities of the real world: sooner or later, the darkness creeps in.

That’s how the newspaper can make an impact on the community it covers.

— Noah Rohlfing, assistant sports editor

A journalist has to develop thick skin.

That’s probably the biggest lesson I learned while covering sports at the Iowa State Daily during the mid-1970s.

While men and women’s cross and country and track, wrestling and men’s gymnastics were national powers during those times, the football and basketball teams struggled.

Many members of the athletic department, particularly Athletic Director Lou McCullough and football coach Earle Bruce believed the Daily should be an unabashed supporter of ISU athletics. They weren’t bashful about complaining, often loudly, when they felt the Daily wasn’t 100 percent in their corner.

With encouragement from Iowa State professors Bill Kunerth, Tom Emmerson, Ed Blinn and others, I learned to accept the complaints, along with the few compliments, and concentrate on reporting fairly, honestly and accurately.

— Gary Sawyer, alumni

I worked for the Daily every year and every day I spent at Iowa State, starting as a photojournalist and eventually working my way up to managing editor. My best memories from college took place either at the Daily newsroom, with Daily colleagues or while on assignment. I consider myself lucky to have been afforded so many opportunities to travel across the country, cover events alongside national media outlets and sit on the sidelines of athletic events. I can’t imagine that I’d be where I am today, with the resume and portfolio that I’ve equipped myself with, without working at the Daily.

— Emily Blobaum, alumni

Student press is where you figure out how to add flesh to the bones of the stories that matter. Maybe they matter to your campus. Maybe they matter to the people who vote for the people who make the laws. Maybe they matter to you. The day Tom Emmerson personally walked me into the Iowa State Daily office and insisted I accept an assignment set me on a path that would define my own story.

That path would allow me to shadow animal-rights activists on a commune to deep Wyoming; to fly in a tiny Cessna over mountaintops pockmarked by oil shale excavation in Colorado; to interview presidential candidates, whistleblowers, civil rights activists and survivors of domestic assault. That path propelled me into the editorship of a national magazine and, eventually, to become the vice president of communications for a nonprofit, where I am privileged to advocate alongside people with disabilities, former refugees and the children whom our society tries hard not to see.

Did I mention the fringe benefits? I ended up marrying a man I met and later edited at the Daily. To this day, we continue to debate vigorously the merits of the Oxford comma and my (quite astute) edits of his album reviews.

— Bethany Kohoutek, alumni

The Daily was a critical part of my education that prepared me for my career in remarkable ways. I was able to take on a range of roles in the newsroom, including editor in chief, and owe a great deal to the Daily. From a healthy curiosity and skepticism and attention to detail to business and team management, I can tie all elements of my professional success back to the skills I learned at the Daily. I also formed lifelong friendships and continue to work closely with two other Daily graduates and close friends all these years later.

— Cavan Reagan Reichmann, alumni

My work at the Iowa State Daily taught me that being a journalist comes with great responsibility – one that required not only depth of conviction, but a depth of integrity.

The tutelage and life lessons gleaned from my work at the student publication taught me narratives and history not only shape who we are, but where we can go.

From a practical standpoint, my years at the Daily taught me the reporting, writing, editing and management skills needed to succeed in the real world. It introduced me to the inner workings of government, politics and the courts. I learned to balance the public’s need to know against the individual’s right to privacy; how to gather information from reluctant sources and what to do when mistakes are made. I learned ethics and law, and the joys of persistence, creativity and teamwork.

Without that experience, my life and career would be on a vastly different, meandering course.

— Tom Barton, alumni

As a freshman studying journalism at Iowa State University, I am only just dipping my feet into the realm of fast-paced news and deadlines. Between book chapters and lectures, I learn about what it means to be part of the newsroom, but I never actually experience it. However, as an assistant copy chief for the Iowa State Daily, I get to dive deeper into what it truly means to be a media professional by experiencing it firsthand. By taking on my copy editing position, I have discovered and developed the skills necessary to ensure news stories are clean and accurate for the benefit of readers and the maintenance of a newspaper’s credibility. Although I do not fill the main news role of the reporter, being a small factor in the journalism process is just as important to me because I know that what I do contributes to the ultimate news goals of informing the public, starting conversations and being that catalyst for democracy.

— Emily Pollock, assistant copy editor

My words couldn’t convey the kind of meaning I wanted them to, but my photos did. I learned this during my time at the Iowa State Daily. I began writing for the paper and really grasped what it meant to be a student journalist. Stay strong to the code of ethics, remember my personal morals, keep things honest and get straight to the point. There was more to me than my words. I wanted to show my reporting. The photo department was filled with creative, hungry and ambitious students who wanted to do the same thing. We wanted to tell a story through our photos. My favorite stories to tell were in sports. The emotions and excitement from the teams and coaches were what made my role as a photojournalist worthwhile. I now work as a photographer for the Chicago Bulls and still to this day thank the Iowa State Daily for instilling a love for sports and a passion for telling a story.

— Lani Tons, alumni

NBA star Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive at a press conference on Nov. 7, 1991. That same day, the editor in chief of the Iowa State Daily had asked me to fill in for her while she was out of town. I was a junior at ISU, majoring in journalism. This was my big chance. Unfortunately, that night I came down with a horrible case of bad news judgment: I ran the biggest story at the time on the back page of the Daily. When the EIC came back, she made it clear I had made a mistake. It’s a lesson I would never forget. And it’s a lesson I never would have learned had it not been for a free and independent student press. The Daily served as the bridge for me between the classroom at ISU, the newsroom when I landed my first job, and ultimately the courtroom after I earned my law degree. On Student Press Freedom Day, I say thank you to the Daily for helping pave the way for me 29 years ago. And I say thank you to the Iowa State community for recognizing and valuing the contributions of independent student journalists for 128 years and counting.

— Julie Roosa, alumni

My time at the Iowa State Daily taught me many valuable professional and life lessons. It is one thing to learn journalism in the classroom, but it is another to write pieces the public will see, lead a newsroom of peers and face tough ethical decisions. The Daily provides the training ground for all of that. The Iowa State Daily taught me how valuable journalism is and that no two stories are the same. Because of my time at the Daily I felt better equipped to cover breaking news and tragedy — such as natural disaster and devastating deaths — that I’ve been faced with in my first professional job. I also feel that my time at the Daily made me a more openminded and empathetic individual by allowing me to meet people of backgrounds different than my own. The Daily is not just a place to learn — I saw firsthand how the work done there makes an impact on many lives. I am more convinced than ever that student journalism matters.