"If chosen for the Sookmyung Times, I promise to do my best and that the Sookmyung Times would take precedence over other tasks." These were my final words during my interview during the SMT cub-reporter recruitment. Five semesters have passed since that day, and now I have been with the magazine for six semesters. After joining the Sookmyung Times, I realized the job was completely different from my thought or idea about being a reporter. There are five scheduled meetings, and three of them are for revising and correcting articles, which means continuous rereading of articles, especially for typos. Also, I recall multiple rejects by interviewees despite going to see them and carrying a heavy camera. I was also scolded numerous times by senior members, claiming that I didn’t really care about my task at hand. Despite these memories, I am very thankful for the opportunities the Sookmyung Times gave me. I met many alumnae and talked with so many others in order to gather the news for fellow Sookmyungians. In the end, the SMT made me gain a greater sense of responsibility.
To be the editor-in-chief of SMT required various skills and abilities. It is not only about writing articles, but doing administrative work and sometimes encouraging other reporters. During my term as editor-in-chief, I had a lot of support and kind advice. Professor Ahn and Professor Matilda always presented ideas on how to write better and increase readability for readers. Also, if it hadn’t been for the help and teachings of senior members, I couldn't have done as well. Lastly, I would like to extend much appreciation to two individual reporters in particular: Heejin and Jieun Oh. There were many sudden events during my term as editor-in-chief at SMT but with their encouragement, I was able to work confidently. To the younger junior reporters: Sieun, Yeeun, Jieun Kim, and Sumin, I am sorry I couldn’t pass on more wisdom or spend more time together with you other than at SMT activities, but I am confident you will grow to become great mentors and academic journalists. Along with these, I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks to my family and friends to installing upon me energy to complete each new edition successfully.
Lastly, a tremendous show of gratitude to all readers of SMT! Thank you for taking the time to read our articles and inspiring us to become better reporters. I promise to continue my growth as a person and become more than a mere former editor-in-chief of SMT. This is the last edition I will work on at SMT, but rest assured all of our reporters will continue to do their best for our Sookmyungian readers and all other faithful readers. I hope you, the readers, continue to enjoy SMT throughout the year. The end has come. It’s been a brilliant five semester term with the Sookmyung Times! And I vow to continue my faithfulness by becoming an avid reader as well.
Hong Ha Sunwoo / Editor-in-Chief
smt_sw94@sm.ac.kr
