It is an absolute honor to become editor for the opinions section. One of my goals is to keep the section remaining strong.
A little bit about me, my name is Tate Zellman. I’m a fifth-year senior English education major from Grand Haven, MI. I started my time with the Torch back in the fall of 2023. I joined the paper as a news reporter. Ever since then, I have truly enjoyed my experience working with the Torch and having the privilege of covering some amazing events and content.
What I hope to accomplish this year as the opinions editor is to make people have their voices heard. Anyone is fully capable of expressing their opinion. Having a few guest writers, I think, would be a great way to show people that stating your opinion is worth the read.
The guest writers can be students, but I think it would be very cool to also have faculty and staff share their opinions. The more voices we bring to the paper, the more we will see that opinions are worth sharing.
Anyone can write their opinion, whether it’s simple or empowering. Some of my favorite opinion pieces that I’ve written are that writing is my identity, and loving who I am as someone who was diagnosed with autism. While these opinions are very personal to me, I want people to see me for who I am. And I want to encourage my staff and any guest writers to do the same.
With how the journalism world is looking right now, having strong and cohesive opinion pieces is very important. One opinion can make a difference in people becoming more willing to come out of their shell and realize that someone else has the same opinions and values. It is essential that the Torch provides opinions that speak to other people, and I hope to accomplish that during my time as the section editor.
If you’re reading this and you come across an opinion you would like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Know that your opinions hold value and are worthy.