If there is one thing that should always be remembered, it is simple. Everything keep going. There is not one thing that just stops, everything carries on and so do we.

That is the one thing about Voices that I have realized. The mission and how Voices serves our community, it does not take a break or ends.

Every day has been a new opportunity to gain a new perspective or listen to a new voice.

This semester, Voices was given a weekly page in our print publication, highlighting different voices within our community.

From students dedicating a part of their adventure at Iowa State to advocate for important issues, to some members of our community welcoming a young couple who has dedicated their lives to telling stories of veterans from each of the 50 states, the goal of highlighting new voices has been met.

However, this first semester was just the beginning.

Our entire community has not given their voices, while I can admit the first semester of this school year was not designed to gather everyone’s voice, this semester was the introduction to the capabilities that the Daily and Voices have to offer.

With the launch of #AskMeAmes, we have encouraged our community members to ask us questions to certain issues that matter to them. From there, we hope to answer your questions and learn something new ourselves.

With Voices, we have created social media with the hopes of creating an online presence that creates thought provoking and much needed conversations that you will not only carry online but also in person in your daily face-to-face interactions.

Beginning next semester, we hope to see you a part of the seonline discussions.

Another thing I wanted to implement as editor was establishing live events. To do this, we successfully launched the Daily Dialogue. Using the theme of a political awakening, speakers discussed the moments that triggered an interest in politics and their respective journeys. For next semester, we hope to have three more events. In doing so, we hope that you not only consider attending at least one, but give us suggestions for a theme you would like to see.

For the final print page of the semester, I decided to take an unique approach. There is no certain way to submit your suggestions or opinions. Everyone is entitled to a freedom of expression, it’s not just a quick paragraph or a certain limit of words. Just as everyone has different experiences, there are different ways to express onself. Some people choose to write poetry, some create art, and some even talk through public speaking.

We hope to continue having poetry pages at least oncee a month next semester and publish them also online, but we also encourage other unique ways to broadcast your voice. Have a camera? Film it. Love to write? Pick up a pen and start writing. Maybe painting is your thing. If so, don’t be afraid to let your passion stop you from expressing yourself.

We are grateful for the all the voices we have encountered this semester and we look forward to the many more we will encounter next semester.