Senior Sports Editor Looks Towards Future in DC

Alexis Carlucci, Class of 2012
May 1, 2012
Filed under Quill

My time here at The Catholic University Tower has been a short lived experience, but one filled with many memories and wonderful trials and tribulations. I began writing for The Tower on a whim the second semester of my junior year. An email had been sent around the school searching for sports writers, and I had done it in high school so I figured I would give it a shot, thinking that it would be easy. I soon learned that there were certain stylistic requirements as I watched my first article submission get torn apart by then-sports editor Justin Morse. Despite my first failed attempt, I quickly learned the ropes of sports writing, and soon managed to be able to write a clear and concise article, make my deadlines, and solidifying relationships with coaches and players that have given me new perspectives on the athletic world at our school.

Writing for sports at the Tower, I have certainly learned that we have an extremely athletic and winning sports community. Many of the teams tend to have winning seasons that go into the playoffs and sometimes beyond into the National Division III tournament. Besides athletic achievement, I have also learned that the Catholic University athletic student body embodies academic prowess. These alone make me proud to write for the sports section.

My junior year was quickly coming to an end when Justin approached me and asked me to stop by the Tower office later. At first I thought nothing of it, and as I entered the office that night I soon learned that this was no ordinary meeting. Justin was graduating and needed someone to fill the sports editor position, and since I had been the most consistent writer for him, he wanted to ask if I was willing to accept the responsibility. At first I gladly accepted, but as I spent my first full night at the Tower I soon learned that editing was not such a quick and easy process as I thought it would be.

For one thing, learning to use Adobe InDesign was like learning to ride a bike, difficult at first but once you get the hang of things, it can be fairly simple. I also soon learned that there was a major process for editing that first begins with the editors corrections, moves on to Bill’s (our advisor), and then on to the copy editor. After that night I realized that things such as Mountain Dew and candy were definitely necessary in working at The Tower for those long nights usually ending somewhere around 2am. The reason I decided to stick with the sports editing was because that night I realized the fabulous and colorful personalities of the Tower staff. If I was going to be there all night working on a newspaper, then the experience better be filled with enjoyable people.

Some of my fondest memories at the Tower come from my senior year, as editor. A typical Tower night usually involved blasting Pandora, and dancing around the office. It also usually involved trips to the Pryz at 10pm because they have nugget night on Thursdays. At the end of the first semester we had an end of semester dinner at Clyde’s where we got a chance to chat and laugh with each other outside of the Tower office.

My senior year is now coming to a close, and I will forever carry my Tower memories and acquired skills into the future. As of now I plan on continuing my internship at the House of Representatives for the summer in hopes of networking and attaining a job there for the fall. I am excited to stay in the District, and continue to explore the various parts of the city. My advice to the Catholic University student body would be to work hard and make your deadlines, but make sure to enjoy the city and have fun. You will only be a college student once.