If you told freshman me — a quiet and introverted Houston girl with her nose always in a book — that I would find a job I loved while balancing the commitments of seeking a double bachelor's in English and marketing in college, I would have laughed at you.
Hard.
First of all, no way I would love a job. Tolerate, sure, but not love. And marketing?! Absolutely not.
Four years later, I was very clearly wrong.
I still remember standing by my desk in my fourth floor Couch dorm when I saw an email about the OU Daily looking for copy editors. I remember reading the email and thinking, “I can do that.” I’d been editing and proofing people’s work for longer than I could remember, and here was an opportunity to do something with it.
There were — and still are — always questions of “Hey Alex, would you mind looking over this before I submit it?” or “Hey Alex, does this sound right?” I never realized that those seemingly little questions were something people actually got paid to do for a living.
Then came OU Daily.
When I showed up to take the copy editors test for an internship position, I was terrified. The newsroom was loud, everyone seemed to know everyone else, and there was absolutely no way I was going to last here. A single conversation with Seth Prince, our adviser, changed all of that. I vividly remember explaining to him what had led me to apply to be a copy editor, and him saying, “You need to talk to our copy chief, Daniella. She’s the same way.”
Needless to say, I took the test. And I’ve never looked back since.
The last three and a half years have given me experiences and memories I never would have thought possible. It felt special to be a part of this paper, like we were some secret (or not so secret) club that knew about everything before anyone else.
I knew about all the news before it came out. I came up with the headlines that I would later hear people talking about; I had the opportunity to work as a sports reporter my junior year, something I never thought I would be brave enough to do; I got to know reporters and desk heads who slowly managed to bring me out of my shell — something many people had failed at before.
I was in the newsroom when the paper suddenly found itself in the interesting position of threatening a multi-million dollar program with a public balcony and (allegedly) a pair of binoculars. I was in the newsroom when news of Lincoln Riley leaving for USC broke. I was in the newsroom when we heard that Brent Venables was going to be our new head coach. I was there for all of it, and I edited many of the stories.
The thought of not having “Copy Editing _-_” on my phone’s calendar is a little terrifying. The realization that my last time walking into the newsroom is less than a week away is bittersweet. But knowing that the person I am today is owed in part to the newsroom in Copeland Hall and the people who have come through it? That is something that never ceases to make me smile.
I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has helped me become the person I am now. And, honestly, thank you doesn’t quite cover it. Y’all have been an amazing group of people to get to be around, and I can only hope to continue what you’ve given me. So thank you.
And when the next quiet, shy, freshman English major walks into the newsroom, welcome her in the same way y’all did me, ok? I know she won’t forget it, and it’s something that will stick with her for years. And if you are that quiet, shy kid, maybe see what openings there are at the OU Daily. You just might find a family that you didn’t know you were looking for.
Alexandra Powell-Lorentzatos served as a copy editor from 2019 to 2023. She is an English writing and marketing graduate.
