I have never procrastinated writing an article like I am this one. Leaving The Old Gold & Black has got to be the hardest part about graduating Wofford, and I am struggling to put into words what this experience has meant to me.
The ability for me to serve as editor-in-chief for the past three years has been a dream come true and given me opportunities that I could have never imagined having.
I got to meet Alexander Smalls, Craig Melvin, Mike Pence, Patrick Steel and so many other remarkable individuals through this position. I was even able to co-host an event with the Career Center in 2022, called “Smalls Talk.”
At “Smalls Talk,” Executive Director of the Career Center Curt McPhail and I were given the opportunity to host a talk-show-like event with Alexander Smalls for the Wofford community.
Additionally, The Old Gold & Black has brought home 17 South Carolina Press Association awards over the past three years, three of which were my own. This has been a huge honor, and attending the SCPA awards ceremony and conference each year has been nothing short of remarkable.
More than that, I have been trusted to deliver accurate and timely news to the Wofford community, which is something that I am going to be eternally grateful for.
Though not everybody was always pleased with what was reported, I believe that The Old Gold & Black team has worked hard to make sure that we always accurately report important issues on campus and in the Spartanburg area.
Reminiscing on all these memories and the opportunities that I have been afforded has made me all the more excited to announce the staff for 2024-2025, knowing that they will get these same experiences.
It is a great pleasure to be able to pass my position of editor-in-chief to Katie Kirk ’25.
Kirk has worked for the paper since Spring 2022, and she has shown herself to be a dedicated leader in numerous organizations, which gives me absolute confidence in her ability to lead The Old Gold & Black.
Serving in other editorial roles include Emory Robinson ’27 as assistant editor, Madison Tolomea ’26 as managing editor and Addie Porter ’26 as visual media editor.
As you may notice, there is a new position in this editorial staff, which we created this year as a way of streamlining the aspects of the paper that do not directly fall under “visual media” or writing. Because of this, the assistant editor will be responsible for all tasks related to layout, website and business.
Those working with the assistant editor include Hailey Hirter ’26 as layout designer, Nick Ross ’26 as website designer and Franny Tocco ’25 as business manager.
Tolomea will lead the following staff writers: Madison Bush ’27, Ava Cox ’27, SK Saggu ’26 and Abigail Taylor ’27. Catherine Lesesne ’26 and Nola Webb ’26 will rejoin the staff as writers when they return from studying abroad in the fall.
Tatum Mogck ’25 will serve as a photographer and will be joined by Ross and Caroline Parker ’26 upon their return from studying abroad as well.
Additionally, we have designed a dual position for The Old Gold & Black and The Bohemian. This position, social media specialist, is held by Lesesne, and she will be responsible for managing all of The Old Gold & Black social media accounts as well as starting up and managing all social media accounts for The Bohemian.
As hard as it is to know that I will no longer be a part of The Old Gold & Black, I have no doubt that this staff will take the paper to new heights, and I am so excited to come back at homecoming and see what great things have been accomplished. Until then, it’s time to sign off.
It’s truly been a pleasure. Thanks for everything.
