Letter from the Executive Director

Welcome loyal readers, writers, newbies to The Wake and everyone in between, 

I’m graduating in December, which has recently been terrifying me to no end. What on earth do you do after you’ve been in school for 16 years of your life? Where do you go? How do you form relationships? How on Earth do you find a job that feels fulfilling and still pays the bills? The whole thought about something new and different scares me, and I think even more since my “college experience” has been, for the majority, during a pandemic. 

But, I’ve also been thinking about all the amazing people I have met and things I have gotten to do during the past three years, one of which being the opportunity to work for The Wake. 

The Wake has become a home for me. It’s somewhere that I feel welcomed even when I am all over the place. It’s a place where I feel like I can connect with people on an emotionally intellectual level reading stories, writing stories, and talking to people that are just as passionate about random things as I am. It’s been a place where even when I’m feeling like I am being “too much” I know that I am loved the same. 

I am forever grateful to this magazine and all the wonderful writers and staff I have worked with. Every person associated with this publication is wildly talented and so incredibly kind. The Wake has given me a home on campus. And I hope it can be something similar to you. 

Sending the biggest thank you to everyone who has ever been a part of this magazine. Writers, artists, staff, interns, and readers because without everyone who makes up this incredible team and this magazine possible, we would be nothing. Thank you for 20+ years of giving students a platform to write about what is on their minds and what is important to them. This is a legacy and no easy beast to tackle. The Wake is one big mosaic story. Thank you for being a part of it. 

With love always, 

Shannon Brault