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The sad truth about running a scrappy community newspaper is that sometimes we have to say goodbye to staff who have a certain je ne sais quoi.
That’s especially true this week as The Paper. prepares to say goodbye to our student reporter Sara Atencio-Gonzales. Sara started at The Paper. last June as part of the New Mexico Local News Fund’s fellowship program, but quickly caught the attention of her editors and was hired on as a part-time staff writer just as she began her senior year at the University of New Mexico.
Her time as a reporter here predates my time at the publication, but when I took the helm, her presence was a pleasant surprise.
I realized, almost immediately, that Sara was an invaluable asset to The Paper. Not only does she accept every assignment with enthusiasm, but she’s also eager to learn and takes edits in stride. One of the first stories I assigned her required her to take a hot air balloon ride and write about her experience. There was little to no hesitation in her voice when Sara accepted the task and it wasn’t until later I learned she’s not a fan of heights or getting up before the sun rises. Despite any trepidation she might have had, Sara was nothing but professional and quickly filed her story. One of her more recent stories was about an Indigenous food festival and one that served as a cover story for The Paper. I felt immense pride for Sara after seeing the final version of that story and thinking about how far she’s come as a writer in such a short period of time.
I will miss Sara’s wit and relaxed demeanor just as much as her commitment to our publication. During this year’s legislative session, one of her classes required her to travel to Santa Fe once a week and write about what our lawmakers were up to. Despite spending a sizable chunk of her time out of the office, Sara always filed assignments on time and never once uttered a peep of frustration.
Sara’s next adventure takes her to Syracuse University for graduate school and like any good journalist, she’s headed out there early to get a lay of the land. I’ve got no doubt that Sara will excel in whatever she decides to do in life, but hopefully she’lll remember us at this little paper when she inevitably becomes a big shot — or at least a bigger shot than she already is.
Godspeed and good luck, Sara. We’ll miss you!