‘The joy of my life’: OU Daily senior staffer Andrew Paredes reflects on work, time in newsroom

OU Daily, oh OU Daily, where do I begin?

I could begin with how you found me during one of the hardest parts of college. I could begin with how you gave me opportunities I could only have wished for. I could begin with the friends and memories you brought me.

But hands cannot type, nor can words express exactly what you mean to me.

So, where can I begin?

I suppose the beginning.

Why me?

I have always known about the Daily, knowingly or not. My first year, I would get emails recapping OU football games and city council meetings. I knew about the Daily, but I was not familiar.

Fast forward to spring 2024 — Multimedia Journalism, taught by Julie Jones. Julie, as many journalism students in Gaylord lovingly call her, randomly arranged our seating chart. I can’t lie, I was pretty annoyed. I was 20 years old, being told where to sit in a class that likely cost thousands of dollars.

In that seating chart, I was placed next to Cassidy Martin, a Daily videographer and future video editor. We hit it off instantly, and eventually, I started to confide in her my worries that, halfway through college, I was not as plugged in as I wanted to be.

Andrew Paredes and Cassidy Martin at the Daily's 2025 end-of-year gathering.
Provided

Being both journalism majors, she encouraged me to apply to the Daily.

I was hesitant at first. Why would a traditionally print newspaper want a broadcast student like me? What place did I have there? How could I be useful?

Not to mention, I was going to be a junior. Halfway done with college. What could I possibly accomplish in just four semesters?

Cassidy reassured me that “a lot of people” like me work at the Daily. In fact, she suggested that I would fit right in.

After a bit more reassurance, I applied to the Daily over the summer. I submitted a rough — and I mean rough — video and written story for consideration. Doubtful, yet hopeful, for someone to bite back.

Later that summer, I got an email from then-assistant news managing editor and future editor-in-chief Anusha Fathepure. She invited me to attend the Daily’s fall open house.

Now, if you know me, you know I hate walking into places alone, especially if everyone inside already knows one another.

But if you want to go far, you have to go far, I suppose.

With nothing to lose, I arrived at Copeland Hall and walked down the long hallway into the OU Daily newsroom.

‘Welcome to the Daily!’

“Hi there! What desk are you interested in?” then-editor-in-chief Peggy Dodd said as I nervously made my way into the newsroom, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people there.

“Um, the news one, I think, please,” I said, fumbling over the simplest of words. I was not off to a hot start.

It might surprise some to know that along with news, I originally requested the culture desk, which at the time was a group of reporters focused solely on food, arts, music and other fun genres of coverage.

I quickly realized maybe that wasn’t my cup of tea, but it’s funny to think about now.

Peggy whisked me into the bustling newsroom and introduced me to then-news editor and future news managing editor Ana Barboza, and I finally met Anusha face-to-face.

Anusha and Ana would become my first two direct editors — Anusha in the fall and Ana in the spring. I didn’t know it then, but they would teach me everything I know about newsworthiness, fair reporting and how Daily staffers connect themselves to their audience and readers.

I’ll miss them dearly.

Enter newsroom adviser Seth Prince in his signature black button-down, charcoal grey slacks and black tennis shoes. I don’t remember much of his introductory speech, but I will always remember his charge to “don’t dabble, dive in.”

I didn’t know it then, but his encouragement, and frankly, his love, would be instrumental to my growth at the Daily. Every story idea, every dumb question, every request for life advice was met with patience and wisdom.

I’ll miss him dearly.

After getting all set up with the news desk, I was about to head home. However, something — or someone — caught my eye. A lone student sitting at the head of the desk to my right, gaze affixed on something clearly pressing enough to be zoned in while dozens of people talked at once.

“Who’s that?” I asked Ana, who had been sitting next to me throughout open house and talked me through getting signed up for Slack.

“That’s Mary Ann, our copy chief. She leads our copy desk,” Ana said fairly casually.

I was curious. What is a copy desk? Why is she the chief? Literally where is everyone else?

After getting filled in on what copy was, I was hooked. It sounded right up my alley. Once dismissed from the news desk, I made a beeline over to Mary Ann and immediately asked if I could join.

Ask anyone in this newsroom about Mary Ann, and you will hear nothing but praise for the saving grace she is. When I think back on my time at the Daily, I will think of all the things Mary Ann taught me about not only copy editing but also careful consideration of each story’s content and how to put yourself in the reader’s shoes. That is uncommon selflessness.

I’ll miss her dearly.

I spent the next two semesters working on the news and copy desks simultaneously. I found myself spending a lot of time in the newsroom, writing my first news stories, copy editing my first stories and getting to know my fellow staffers.

So there I stayed — doing my work, meeting my friends and starting to get a real knack for this whole journalism thing. It was fun. It was different, but still, I wanted more.

Luckily, everything was about to change.

A new rhythm

“Hey! What are you doing today at noon?” Peggy said over Slack.

March 7, 2025 — it was a sunny Friday afternoon, not too hot, not too cold. The UV value was eight. I planned on going out with some friends around then.

“Nothing much, what's up?” I replied, knowing good and well I had plans.

“Would you want to go to the National Weather Service with Willie and film a video of the protest?” Peggy wrote.

The Department of Government Efficiency was rolling out cuts across the nation. Some of those cuts hit the National Weather Center in Norman.

At the same time, then-videographer, future video editor and incoming editor-in-chief Willie Gillespie was pioneering the Daily’s short-form video coverage. I had produced some short videos before, but nothing as actively developing as this.

I like to consider my coverage of the protest as my first true video at the Daily.

And it was rancid. Absolutely rancid.

Just the worst thing ever.

I was talking way too fast, I was not dressed appropriately at all, and I had way too much hair on my head.

But I was proud of it. So, so proud of it.

There was no turning back after that. I made the video desk my home, cranking out everything I could: protests, city council meetings, campus events, business closures and even some sports.

I felt like I finally found my space at the Daily. Video coverage where I can tell stories in a new way, written coverage for the times where I want to slow down, and copy editing, developing a keen eye for detail and the big picture with some of my first and closest friends at the Daily.

So there I stayed — doing a little bit of everything with a little bit of everyone.

And I loved every second of it.

This new rhythm would continue into my senior year. I kept working on all three desks while also getting plugged in more around campus, joining Gaylord Ambassadors and OU Nightly, both also at the encouragement of Cassidy and other staffers at the Daily.

Despite all the busyness and chaos of senior year, everyone at the Daily always made sure that I had everything I needed to feel supported. You can’t repay that kind of love.

I hope everyone knows what true friends they have been to me.

The joy of my life

I have 13 days left of school and my emotions are all over the place. So much is happening and it has my brain scattered, but as I write this, I find that scatter settling.

That’s what the Daily means to me. A calm, steady presence in my life that reminds me that everything will be OK.

Everything I learned here has gotten me where I am today. I firmly believe I would not have landed any of my past internships or jobs in television without the things I learned while working at the Daily.

A newspaper built this broadcaster.

My time is coming to an end. I have nothing left to offer. It’s a sad but true reality, but as I look around this newsroom, I am filled with so much joy and hope.

I see younger staffers finding their stride — some of them not-so-young anymore — now emerging as leaders, which has been such a joy to see. I know they will lead this place wonderfully in the coming years.

Many of those staffers joined the Daily when I did. In a way, we all grew up together. If you all see this, I hope you know who you are.

And I hope you know I love you.

I certainly will miss this place and these people.

I’ll miss sports editor Josh McDaniel always hyping up my outfits when I’m having the worst days, thinking I look terrible, including the bee suit I wore during a video I made as a junior, something he likes to bring up jokingly while enjoying his signature drink — chocolate milk.

I’ll miss all the countless stories with the world’s best news editors and reporters on the news desk, where I got my start. I had the absolute joy of working with reporters like Macey Thaxton and Keaton Shaffer, who work so hard to get the story right and exemplify so much integrity in their reporting, and editors like Natalie Armour, who never forget to laugh and smile amid the busyness.

Soon, I’ll turn in my final story to Natalie, who has been my direct editor for my entire senior year. I didn’t know it then, but she would guide me through some of my proudest, most in-depth and nuanced coverage as a Daily staffer. I hope she knows how much her guidance and friendship mean to me.

I’ll miss her dearly.

I see so much of myself in younger staffers like Reagan Rozzi, whom I met at Gaylord’s fall open house and encouraged to join the Daily, and the ever-smooth Spencer Windholz, who, dare I say, might be one of the funniest people on staff right now.

I hope you guys never change who you are and what you believe in.

I’ll miss my extraordinary friends on the copy desk. Friends like Sophie Hemker, and all our random Sunday night texts asking if the newsroom needed coffee grounds for the coming week; Gretchen Schultz, one of my first OU Daily friends who also joined at the top of her junior year and has walked this experience with me, becoming such a dear and treasured friend; Tori Pham and Kylie Caldwell for all our Friday morning couch sessions during that week’s training; former copy editors like Avery Avery, whose kindness was such a comfort in my beginning days; and all the younger staffers who fill the newsroom with so much energy that it’s hard for a senior citizen like me to keep up.

All of our random acronyms, movie trips and weird side jokes were the highlight of my time at the Daily. Every single one of you will always have a special place in my heart and all the love I can offer.

I’ll miss the quick-paced, ever-moving video desk led by some of the sharpest and most tenacious reporters and editors we have. Already seeing videographers like Jack Young take such a big leap in their skills has been wonderful, as has seeing other staff start to get more comfortable on camera.

It was an honor to contribute during some of OU’s and Norman’s busiest moments. I just wish I could be around longer to help more.

I’ll miss the midday buzz of the newsroom, often led by voices like photo editor Annie Davenport, dying down whenever Seth walks out of his office — all eyes on him with anticipation — only for him to quizzically look at us, ask how we are doing, then charge us to “carry on.”

So carry on, OU Daily.

Carry on in truth. Carry on in excellence. Carry on in doing what is right and fair.

It was the joy of my life to be with you.

I’ll never forget you.

And I’ll always love you.

Andrew Paredes is an OU journalism graduate. At OU Daily, he served as a news reporter, news videographer and copy editor. He previously interned at KOCO 5 News and KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City. After graduation, he will move to Omaha, Nebraska, to work for KMTV 3 News Now as a television news reporter and fill-in producer. He hopes everyone at the Daily knows that he loves them dearly, and although the distance is great, he will never be more than one phone call away.

Read, or watch, some of Andrew’s work here: