From another perspective

Hey, my name is Erin Semple, and I am a junior Mass Communication major with a print concentration. My job, this year, is Editorial Page Editor. I will be in charge of The Beat, the Editorial section and editing articles. Last year, I was the Arts and Entertainment Editor, and though I enjoyed that position, I felt it was time to move on.

Let me start at the beginning. I was born in Danbury, Connecticut. My ethnic background consists of Italian, German and Scottish heritage. I endeared most of my childhood with my mother’s side of the family. My mom, being Italian, belongs to a huge family, so I have many aunts, uncles and cousins. In 1989, I moved to Marietta, Georgia and have lived there for the past 13 years.

I started Georgia College and State University in the fall of 2000. This is my third year on the Colonnade Staff. I started as only a writer, and now, I moved up to a section editor position. I still write articles for the Colonnade. I will also write this editorial column often this year.

I have enjoyed attending this college for the past two years and look forward to a new year. I had the opportunity this past summer to take advantage of an internship at the Marietta Daily Journal. I learned a lot about working in an actual newsroom. During this experience, I worked side-by-side with other reporters, wrote and researched 15 articles and
laid out 57 pages.

I also enjoy traveling, dancing and singing. After I graduated from high school, I visited Italy, Switzerland, France and England. In those countries, I specifically ventured into Rome, Florence, Venice, Zurich, Paris and London. I fell in love with the romantic city of Paris and the beautiful Eiffel Tower. Rome features striking cathedrals and statues. The summer after that, I participated in a study abroad trip to Greece and Turkey.

I also participate in Gamma Sigma Sigma, which is a community service co-ed sorority, Alpha Lambda Delta, Catholic Compass, Gamma Beta Phi, the Georgia Education Mentorship Program and International Club.

The tragedy of Sept. 11 was an eye-opening experience for the world, especially me. This day proved that America is not invincible and just as vulnerable as any other country. Unfortunately, this lesson took thousands of people’s lives. That is certainly unfortunate. It also destroyed the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center. New York City is one of my favorite cities, and it will never be the same. Although I have not seen the ruins yet, I plan to sometime in the near future.

Sept. 11 has changed the way people see the world. It should influence America’s next move, but the United States also needs to remember we still don’t entirely know who to blame. We shouldn’t point fingers at anyone. Don’t let racism and stereotypes divide us. Instead, we should all band together and resolve our problems peacefully.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 13 2002. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry