Belén Yudess ’25
Copy Editor
I owe my participation on The Scripps Voice (TSV) to the incomparable Rory Gilmore. The first time I visited a vacant Scripps in spring 2021, my mom and I wandered into Seal Court where I spotted an empty TSV newsstand. I had just decided to commit to Scripps about five minutes before, after weeks of being resistant to the idea, and seeing that stand felt like a sign.
Growing up, I was dazzled by the depiction of Rory’s chaotic yet fulfilling journey on the Yale Daily News. So many of her college experiences and lasting relationships throughout the show were shaped by her tenure on the Daily News — she and Logan were co-workers first — and after watching Gilmore Girls for the first time in fifth grade, I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps.
I remember pointing that stand out to my mom, who immediately made a Gilmore Girls reference; sometimes no one gets me like she does. As we walked back to the car, I fawned over the idea of joining the paper. Although I knew nothing about journalism as a practice, I understood the impact of storytelling and fervently believed in the power of the author. I knew I had to give TSV a try, even if it was only one article.
The evening of the first TSV meeting freshman year, I signed up to co-write an article about the Motley with Lindsey Ravetz ’25 (a fantastic co-writer and person); I had no idea how one article would change my life.
During these past four years, it has been the greatest joy to write, laugh, cry, and grow alongside the brilliant and radical minds who have led TSV during times of triumph and tribulation. TSV has always been at the crux of significant change and advocacy; fighting for student autonomy even when the battle feels endless and the light at the end of the tunnel seems obscured. But if I have learned anything from my time on TSV, it’s that the Scripps community is a persistent flame that flickers in the distance; a promise that home awaits beyond the struggle.
TSV is a story of resilience. As a staff writer, I have had the honor of interviewing a multitude of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents for a wide range of articles, spanning from features about the exemplary work our peers conduct on these campuses to calls for justice following unfair treatment from the people who are meant to protect us. Throughout every interview, regardless of the reason, there is something that connects every member of our community: a shared belief that there is a possibility for change and a shared desire to actively contribute to leaving Scripps a little better than it was found.
I have been driven to tears by heartfelt declarations from Motley managers and baristas who have courageously and compassionately fought for the legacy of love and free speech that the space holds. I have been inspired by student activists whose commitment to Palestinian liberation has emboldened them to speak out and unite regardless of the consequences because they know it is the right thing to do. I have been ignited by peers who see how a failure to meet accessibility needs, a lack of institutional support for students of color, and the mistreatment by professors for vocalizing beliefs continuously harm students, to resist a stance of neutrality or ignorance and join the collective desire to come together and act. And I have been amazed by the beautiful narratives of success, enthusiasm, and love from those who have shared their artistic, athletic, academic, and personal passions with the community in order to brighten the lives of others. Thank you all for your strength, dreams, and stories. I can’t wait to see you all continue to change the world.
In her farewell letter to TSV last semester our former Editor-in-Chief Ellen Wang ’25 summed up the immeasurable power of journalism in a way that I would like to echo now. She said, “Journalism is a labor of love — it has to be, to push through in America’s most hated profession (…) And while the accelerating decline of print publications and shuttering of local newspapers and merging of media companies under mass conglomerates do not offer much to love, not to mention the global attacks on journalistic freedom, student journalism continues as an integral force documenting the events impacting youth, by youth.”
Being a student journalist is heart-wrenching, exhausting work that constantly lands writers under scrutiny and in danger. But, it makes a difference, even if that difference is one person who feels less alone, who feels like their voice matters.
Student journalism has time and time again proven to be a liberatory practice. During the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s, student journalists vehemently pushed for queer rights and the humanization of people with AIDS across their college campuses to ensure that gay students knew they had not been abandoned to despair and disdain. In his final message before his unjust murder at the hands of the Zionist entity, 23-year-old Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat wrote, “I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to report the truth (…) Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories — until Palestine is free.”
We persist for those who gave up everything for the sake of freedom, equality, and truth — rights and realities that are being erased from our world with every passing day. “We are living in scary times,” as my dad likes to say. But that is why we write, to make sense of the inexplicable and to invite hope back into the home.
Therefore, it is essential that I highlight the student journalists who have been role models, teachers, and the most exceptional group of co-workers anyone could imagine; not even the great Amy Sherman Palladino could have invented a cast of such witty, wonderful souls.
To Madison Yardumian ’21, Kendall Lowrey ’22, Aanji Sin ’24, Alyssa Wendt ’24, and Ellen Hu ’24, thank you for your guidance, unyielding efforts, and unwavering belief in this paper and all it could become with a little bit of tenderness and a little bit of love. Watching you all serve as EICs over the past four years has been a masterclass in patience and dedication; thank you for raising the bar and for leaving a legacy of kinsmenship.
To Juliette Des Rosiers ’26, Frances Walton ’26, and Ellen, thank you for your bravery and boldness. Working under your leadership this year has been an honor and I cannot express the amount of appreciation, respect, and abounding admiration I have for your humor and resolve, especially when our backs are against the wall. Thank you for not only holding the wall up but laying the foundation for the radical and inaugural reporting TSV has accomplished over the past couple of months. And a special thank you to Ellen for sticking through editorial with me for the past four years; being your partner in this position is an experience I will cherish forever and there is no other senior I would rather have done this with than you.
Finally, to Amy Jayasuriya ’26, Ishita Jayadev ’26, Elita Kutateli ’26, Carah Allen ’26, Hannah Fawley ’27, Anna Grez ’27, Nawal Hassan ’27, Charlotte Korer ’27, Clara Ann Bagnoli ’28, and Leah Gorence ’28, thank you for everything you all do behind the scenes, this paper would literally not exist without your creativity, time, and knowledge. When I look back on TSV, what I will remember above all else are sharing moments of breathless laughter, celebratory huzzahs after submitting the paper (mostly) on time, and loads of dried mango with you all in production. Your friendship, acceptance, and support has meant everything and I am so excited to see how TSV will continue to blossom in the years to come. I have high hopes and no doubt that you all will blow us away.
If Rory Gilmore has taught me anything, it’s that stories have an innate ability to make us feel seen. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we continue to amplify the stories of those who the institutions in power would rather see fall through the cracks. Everyone has a story that deserves to be told and I would like to thank our community for your faith in TSV to do just that. Keep believing in the power you hold in the palm of your hands and remember that hands are meant to be held; so lean on each other, trust each other, and rally together to make noise, incite change, and dream. TSV will be there in the wings ready to report and we hope to continue to make you all proud.
With my entire heart,
Belén Yudess
