A letter from the incoming 2025-26 editor-in-chief

My first journalism class at STU is one of those moments I’ll never forget.

“The Queen just died,” interrupted one of the students while Mark Tunney was speaking.

I still remember how everyone froze and the room fell silent for a moment. Tunney turned the sudden announcement into a teaching moment, demonstrating that informing a class of nearly 60 students is, in fact, a form of journalism.

That was the first moment I felt the rush of breaking news — and I knew this was it.

I didn’t grow up thinking I would become a journalist. Back home, journalism never felt like an option. It wasn’t until I came to Canada that it even crossed my mind. Meeting other international students who were studying journalism and writing for The Aquinian was eye opening. I was inspired by their passion and their determination to pitch, write and edit stories.

In my first year, someone whose name I can’t remember, encouraged me to attend a story meeting. I was terrified. It all felt too intimidating.

To whoever you are, thank you.

I sat in that meeting and just listened. It was like hearing a language I didn’t quite understand yet.

Taking the local reporting class in my second year allowed me to immerse myself in the city of Fredericton. Interviewing no longer felt as daunting as it once did, and the Canadian Press Style slowly started to be ingrained in my brain. As a volunteer, I wrote a feature story on a newly opened cafe located in the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. I wasn’t sure if it would be of interest, as there were a few bumps along the way, but it turned out to be one of AQ’s top stories of 2023-2024.

When I was selected as the Arts and Culture editor, I couldn’t see what lay ahead for my section, let alone that I would receive an email from Oliver informing me I had been chosen to be the next editor-in-chief. Anyone who knows me knows that The Aquinian came first this year, no matter where I was or who I was with.

From taking layout calls inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to waking up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday to finish an article, I learned the significance of being a team player and the importance of delivering information to our student community on time.

I am deeply grateful to have worked this year with a team full of talented and exceptional people. Even though I didn’t know the entire team at the start of the year, we bonded over long Sunday read-throughs and Wednesday night pizza — memories I’ll always hold close to my heart.

Everything I know and every great story we put out this year was because of Oliver and Katherine. Thank you for being patient with me, for being understanding and for always teaching me something new every Sunday. I couldn’t have mastered the art of headlines without you.

To the team we built this year, I will miss the laughs and, believe it or not, the layout lore. Witnessing everyone’s creativity and drive to chase a story was inspiring. From pitch to publication, so much happens behind the scenes, and watching you navigate it all kept me afloat this year.

During these times the world is facing, journalism is more essential than ever. As the next editor-in-chief, I am eager to foster a workspace defined by integrity and accountability.

Our goal is to serve our student community with honesty and deliver high-quality journalism stories. I also want to thank all future editors and writers in advance for the heart and hard work you’ll bring to every article and story meeting.

Gracias a mi familia en Nicaragua por apoyarme en mi carrera, por siempre creer en mí y ser mi polo a tierra. Nada de esto hubiera sido posible sin ustedes, los amo. Este logro va dedicado a mi país y por un periodismo sin censura.

Alexa, play Nicaragua Nicaragüita by Carlos Mejía Godoy.

See you in September!

Fernanda Sánchez

Editor-in-Chief 2025-2026