(Photo by Elizabeth Taylor)

Hello everyone, my name is Baptiste Raffin, and I am the new Editor-In-Chief of The Messenger.

Before saying anything else, I would like to thank our advisor Mike Humphrey, along with the Student Media Center Board of Advisors for giving me this opportunity. I hope to be worthy of their trust, and to continue the great work that our (still current) Editor in Chief Elizabeth Taylor had been doing this semester.

A little bit about me. I am what you would call a non-traditional student, not only am I an international student from France, but I also already have a French Master’s degree in Public and Media Information and Communication, and I am currently studying to go into TV hosting.

This semester, I was part of the first ever The Messenger’s team as the News Editor. I really enjoyed looking for stories to write about, and reporting on what matters to you. I had always had a passion for television, but I discovered a new passion for written journalism. 

When I learned that The Messenger would be looking for a new Editor in Chief for next year, I did not know at first that I would want to do it. But after talking with Mike, Elizabeth, and the other members of the team, I got really excited and decided to apply, and I am glad I did. 

As I have said above, I am looking forward to continuing what Elizabeth built this semester. It is wild to think about what we have been able to accomplish in just one semester, in big part thanks to her leadership. 

But I also want to keep The Messenger growing. I hope that we will be able to be even more timely than we were this semester, with stories going out more often. As someone who wants to work on television, I also want to expand our video presence, and bring something new to The Messenger, with reporters reporting on camera. 

We will also keep what is working, like the podcasts and the semestrial magazine. 

I am really excited to start my tenure as Editor in Chief in the Fall. We have already started working, and I can’t wait to see what we will be able to do.

And to help us make The Messenger grow, we are going to need you. So, if you have a passion for reporting, telling stories, filming, video production, or anything related to the media field, I invite you to join us and be a part of the team.