Editorial: A year of highs, lows, and going with the flow
As we adapt to change we strive to do the best we can.
In our final editorial of the year, you’ll notice a change in our roles. Or maybe you have never heard of us, and this is your first time reading an Editorial!
Hi, we’re Liz and Juliana, The Medium’s Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor for the remainder of the publication’s 49th volume.
The Medium had a tumultuous start to its publishing year. We proudly continued publishing beautiful stories and curating gorgeous weekly issues (and even one magazine). However, as our editorial team returned to working on campus, we’ve felt the post-pandemic weight of returning to in-person learning and have desperately tried to find some normalcy in a not-so-normal world. We’re not scared to admit “failure” because we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that through upset and change, there is growth. This fall semester, in the weight of this unprecedented experience, we just didn’t find our groove. Instead, we spent these last four months tiptoeing and leaping over adversities with great care.
Now that we’ve begun to find our footing, we’re excited to venture into this next year with fresh ideas, perspectives, and hopes. We’re looking forward to collaborating with more of University of Toronto Mississauga’s students and alumni to publish inspiring stories about our campus and community. We’re thrilled to bring you another magazine—one that looks towards the future and doesn’t dwell on the past.
Leading The Medium has taught us that there is no time to worry about what once was; change is constant, and if we don’t adapt quickly, we’ll get left behind. In the remaining days of the year, we look forward to reflecting upon what we can learn from the last 12 months, remembering and letting go of any lingering penitence as the clock strikes midnight and marks the start of a new chapter.
Our time at The Medium has also taught us that we can’t move forward without readers like you. For the next semester, we want to know what you want to see from us. We have plans to pick up on projects that we’ve lost track of, like our Talking Heads series, our writing and art competition (for which submissions are open until December 14, 2022), and perhaps create a video or two featuring students like you. With a strong focus on themed issues in Volume 49, you have our Black History Month, Women’s Day, and Valentine’s Day issues to look forward to. If you have a story for us you can always reach us at editor@themedium.ca and managing@themedium.ca, or pitch online, even anonymously, at www.themedium.ca/pitch. We want to hear from you.
Finally, thank you to all the writers, photographers, and illustrators who have contributed to the paper this semester. We are so grateful to share this space with you. And to our readers, The Medium would like to wish you Happy Holidays. We hope that the winter break provides you with respite and reflection in preparation for the year to come. Let 2023 bring us closer to each other, and let us accept change and trust that it will lead us to where we belong.
Editor-in-Chief (Volume 48 & 49) | editor@themedium.ca — Liz is completing a double major in Chemistry and Art History. She previously served as Features Editor for Volume 47, and Editor-in-Chief for Volume 48. Liz is extremely excited to have spent her time as an undergrad at The Medium, and can’t wait to inspire others and be inspired in her final year at UTM. When she’s not studying, working, writing, or editing countless articles, you can find her singing Motown hits at her piano, going on long walks by the lake, or listening to music. You can connect with Liz on her website, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Managing Editor (Volume 49); Senior Copy Editor (July–November, Volume 49); Copy Editor (Volume 48) — Juliana is a fourth-year student completing a double major in English and Professional Writing and Communication. She previously worked as a Copy Editor for Volume 48 and briefly as Senior Copy Editor for Volume 49. When she isn’t adding commas or splitting up run-on sentences, Juliana loves to read, play violin, sing, fangirl over multiple TV shows, and completely spoil her two dogs.