Letter from the Executive Director

Howdy!

Right now, you are holding a copy of The Wake’s first issue of the 2024-25 school year! It’s been 22 years of staff and readers being brought together by this wonderful thing we call The Wake. Thank you (yes, YOU)  for the special role you play in helping this legacy live on!

My relationship with The Wake started during my freshman year. Like so many other freshmen, I had no idea what I was doing or what I wanted. I ended up officially switching majors—paperwork and all—three times, but still found myself plagued by that first year malaise. It would be impossible to explain how much The Wake meant to me in that time, so I’ll settle for saying that reading the newest issue was incredibly grounding.

I had never really been a writer or artist in any form. I had always been the odd one out in friend groups of creatives, but The Wake opened my eyes to the possibility of making stuff myself. Keeping up with the magazine was fun, but I began to imagine what it would be like to write an article. It was just a daydream at the time, but if freshman me had known about pitch meetings, I would’ve been ecstatic!

Applications for The Wake opened in Fall 2023, prompting me to take to my phone’s Notes app. I feverishly drafted an application that was the written equivalent of a teary-eyed, pleading stare. I’m not entirely sure what role I even applied for, but I was eventually offered a position as an intern for the Voices section (this was a better fit, anyway).

It’s been a year since then, and I’m the Executive Director now. It feels strange, but it also feels right. In this time, I’ve given a lot of effort and love to The Wake, and in return, I’ve grown in my confidence, writing skills, and involvement in the campus community. If I can ask for anything, I ask that this cycle can continue. I want to do everything I can for The Wake, and I’m looking forward to seeing what it has in store for myself and the rest of the team this year. I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to play a role in this organization, it’s a privilege to work with such talented, thoughtful, and kind people.

I’m honored to be here with you all, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this year takes us!

All my love,

Ashley Sudeta