My story of how I joined The Spectrum isn’t exciting or funny or interesting. It changed my life anyway.
I came to UB in the middle of the pandemic, when we still had to check the COVID dashboard to see if we’d be getting sent home from the semester early. I thought it would be easy to acclimate to college and find my place and make friends and do all those things that seem to happen in the movies.
It was not.
I was going to club meetings and reaching out to people, but six months of isolation had done irreparable damage. Nothing seemed to click.
It wasn’t until the beginning of my sophomore year that I was introduced to The Spectrum. I was always into photography, but taking pictures only to upload them into the digital ether had lost its allure. I figured I would give it a shot, or several, and enrolled in ENG 394, The Spectrum’s three-credit English class. I still remember walking into the office for the first time and being applauded by Justin and Reilly, the managing editor and editor-in-chief at the time, for the photos I took at a football game.
Those photos went over to the legendary Paolo Blanchi, who to this day is the only person who could convince me to start smoking cigarettes and using Adobe InDesign, where they were laid out on newsprint, all framing the unparalleled writing of our sports editor, Anthony DeCicco. The next day, I ran to the nearest newsstand to see how it all came together in print.
It was magic.
All I had wanted to do was pursue that feeling over and over and over again. In that pursuit, I found a sense of community, I found mentorship, and I found my place at UB.
Click.
Since then, I’ve gotten the pleasure of watching this newspaper staff grow and morph, each semester taking a new character and composition of talents, all with the same unwavering goal. I take such pride in the work each member of this staff produces — our not-so-little student paper is all the better for the marks you all have left on 132 Student Union.
Justin, you took a timid sophomore and instilled in him confidence and a passion for storytelling. I would not be where I am today as a journalist or as a person without you. I look up to you as a role model and am proud to be able to call you my friend.
Anthony, you are such an insanely talented writer and, whether or not you like to admit it, a leader. You and Andrew created an office environment that will go down in the history books and laid the groundwork for our success this year. I still think of you every time I get a Taco Bell cravings box (which is more often than I’d like to admit).
Andrew, you gave me tremendously large shoes to fill. Your work ethic is truly remarkable. Your presence during all those late production days makes me actually miss being in our windowless office until three in the morning. Thank you for sharing the agony of being an engineering student in journalism with me.
Matt and Sam, you guys have provided me with such enduring mentorship. From jam sessions in the office to tense conversations about the legality of trespassing as a photographer, I seriously cherished having you guys in my corner during the past few years. I hope we get to continue our relationship as colleagues in the future.
Grant Ashley, now-retired editor-in-chief, friend and overall powerhouse of a human: I hope your retirement brings you much rest, though you might have to sleep for the next four years to catch up on all the sleep you’ve missed. You’re one of the most talented journalists I know and I’m proud to be able to call you one of my closest friends.
Ryan, in terms of stepping up, you’ve climbed the whole staircase. I was apprehensive coming into this year with the amount of turnover we had on staff, but in two short years you’ve become one of the most valuable assets this paper could have asked for. It says a lot that we were able to get as close as we did while spending the majority of our time together locked away on production day.
Xiola and Ricardo, you guys are going to crush it next year. I am so proud of how far you guys have come and I cannot wait to see what you accomplish next year.
I can’t thank everyone individually because I’m approaching more words than I’ve ever actually written for the paper, but to everyone at The Spectrum, returning and alumni, thank you for making my time here so meaningful. There’s really no amount of words that can properly express how much I’ve appreciated being a part of The Spectrum. Hopefully 822 of them will do.
Moaz Elazzazi was the assistant managing editor and can be reached at moaz.elazzazi@ubspectrum.com
Moaz Elazzazi is the assistant managing editor at The Spectrum. He is a mechanical engineering major with a minor in studio art. In his spare time, he can be found drawing pretty pictures, taking pretty pictures or fixing obsolete technology.
