Rush-ing Out: HutchCC, The Collegian is Where I Truly Belonged

Hutchinson Community College was never a part of my plan. Once I graduated from high school, I had expected to find myself at a big four-year school. I had my whole future planned out, but I soon came to realize that not everything goes as expected.

In Aug. 2024, I decided not to go to the big fancy school I planned on attending, and instead found myself in journalism advisor Brad Hallier’s office, crying, and hoping it wasn’t too late to enroll in classes. I spent that fall semester doing online classes, not thinking much about activities, classmates, or campus in general. But once the spring semester rolled around, I discovered the place I truly belonged: The Collegian.

The Collegian’s newsroom soon became my home away from home. At first, I wasn’t on board with the whole writing articles thing. As a journalism major, I wanted to do more photography or social media-based work, but I quickly learned to love writing for the newspaper. After only two months of writing articles and gaining experience, I was offered the role of Editor in Chief for the following school year.

Being EIC this past year quickly became one of my greatest accomplishments. I built life-long friendships and met several girls that I know will be in my wedding one day. The Collegian quickly became my second family and I love every person that was a part of this amazing team.

I gained life-changing experiences from this paper. I was able to help cover the NJCAA football national championship game in December and win Journalist of the Year at the Kansas Collegiate Media conference this April. Neither of which would have been possible without HutchCC.

I once again learned that not everything goes as planned. Sometimes stories fall apart, sometimes sources don’t respond to interviews, sometimes people don’t agree with the stories you publish.

My time on The Collegian has genuinely been the best two years of my life, and I would not change a single moment of it. The Collegian taught me that there is almost always a silver lining to every situation.

My time at HutchCC and The Collegian created impactful memories that I will always look back on in delight. I not only wrote stories, but I created my own that I hope I can tell my children about one day.

Lizzie Rush is a Grand Island, Neb., sophomore studying journalism and the Collegian’s Editor In Chief. Contact her on Instagram.

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