For the last four years, I have had the distinct privilege of being one of the many news correspondents on The Vanguard staff. Covering stories ranging from Greek Life to Sodexo, from Bentley’s hook-up culture to SGA, I have been gifted with the opportunity to get a brief look at many of the subsets of the Bentley community that make it what it is.

While I would like to be able to say that my stories have changed Bentley, in a way, I am more proud to say that the work that I have done through The Vanguard has changed me even more. Being privy to the experiences that The Vanguard has provided me with has truly defined my college career, and while I have been left with a great deal, two salient ideas remain at the forefront.

My time here has provided me with a unique and comprehensive view of the place that many of us call home. Whether it was interviewing students anonymously or sitting in the center of the Bubble gathering group information, it became clear to me that as Bentley students, we all have opinions and we all have stories to tell.

Journalists are meant to bring those stories to bear and while I have enjoyed doing that, for the good of the University, I believe it is important that students realize they need nothing more than their voice to get their story out there. That is the first thing I have taken away from The Vanguard.

At times, Bentley comes across as a muted campus, not particularly vocal about any one issue. I reject the belief that it is because we all don’t care; apathy is not an acceptable excuse or answer. During my freshman year, a senior told me, “It is because they don’t listen, that’s why I don’t care.” This quote has stuck with me to this day.

While at times it may seem that administrators and staff don’t choose to listen to student input, my four years of experience have proven this to be false. There are hundreds of administrators and staff that deeply care about the students and their concerns, putting aside other duties to rectify injustices.

While they may be willing to help, some administrators do have headphones on and are unable to hear anything more than the most vocal students. My advice to those of you who don’t feel listened to is simple: Raise your voice. Do it respectfully, but if you demand attention, you will get noticed.

“Decisions are made by those who show up,” wrote author Aaron Sorkin, and nothing could be truer here at Bentley. If you continue to show up, voice your opinions effectively and speak for what you believe in, it would be impossible for you not to have a hand in the decision. At The Vanguard, I have viewed my role as being the arrow that pointed the issues on campus that needed to be addressed. Whatever it was, I hoped to provide unbiased, knowledgeable coverage of an issue, bringing it to bear in a very public way.

While I believe this has been accomplished, none of it would have been possible without the help of hundreds of people. The list of those people who I need to thank would truly take this entire publication. My editors, my fellow writers, my friends, people I have interviewed, people who questioned me and yes, people who yelled at me, you all deserve a great deal of thanks.

My final lesson from The Vanguard stems from all those I need to thank. The truth is, no one is a “self-made man/woman,” because it truly isn’t possible. Everyone is given help by someone in their lives and shaped into the person they are because of this influence. My advice is to continue to listen to those people and hope that their numbers grow. I would rather be a successful man who got a lot of help than an unsuccessful, self-made man.

I would even say listen to your detractors. Someone who was upset with me about a Greek Life article once wrote that I need to “take a journalism 101 class.” While I don’t think this is what he intended, I took his advice to heart and will be attending American University next year to get my Masters in International Broadcast Journalism. Whoever you are, thanks for the advice.

On May 16, when I look back at Bentley, I will do so knowing that the people here are some of the most outstanding, intuitive and caring people that I have ever met in my 21 years of life. It has truly been an honor.
Thank you for everything.

Dan Merica
News Correspondent