I came to Tulane three semesters ago. As a freshman, I stressed about the kind of environment I would have to deal with. I was confused, and at one point felt like assimilating into the predominant campus culture was the only way I could have been happy.

As a shelter and safe space from this constant pressure I faced, I discovered The Hullabaloo late in my first semester at Tulane. More specifically and importantly, however, I found Intersections.

Never in my life had I thought that I’d be involved in journalism. I hate writing. I hate writing essays, papers, research projects, the whole shabang. Naturally, I was shocked to realize how much I loved being a section editor. I quickly found that Intersections was more than the fifth page in the newspaper. It was – and is – a community.

The very first official Intersections article was released less than three years ago. Intersections is young, but, damn, have we popped off since our founding. Intersections rose from the need to provide a platform for our array of marginalized communities on campus. We promised ourselves we would not let our cultures, our identities and our experiences become erased from the discussions held at our university. And that took courage. The one sentence that stands out to me from the others in that first article, however, is “But we know this is not enough.”

Intersections has been an amazing space where I, and many other people before me, feel the freedom and comfort to share my story in a setting where my story – along with others – are often never recognized. This, however, will never be enough. Intersections will never be enough. As a section editor, I strive to cover the many topics and dialogues about our identities on campus, but Intersections cannot cover every single case of marginalization and erasure on campus.

As much as I would love for this to be a reality, it is not, and Intersections must be held accountable for not fulfilling this when necessary. For this reason, Intersections is only one crack on the glass window that’s keeping others from getting in. We don’t need another crack, we need the entire window to crumble. We deserve better and more. Always.

The struggle to simply voice our stories and our voices on this campus isn’t over. But I believe that we are more than capable of winning this struggle. Of finally having our histories become taught, our experiences discussed, and our humanity recognized and upheld. To those who ever decide to write for Intersections after my time as section editor, thank you. You are a brave human being for resisting the very same institution we call our school and vocalizing the injustices that must be made right. Thank you.

Canela López, thank you. Thank you for founding Intersections and establishing a legacy that I can only see as continuing to thrive. Your fight to have this section become a reality will be remembered and cherished. Your actions have opened up a new door, one which many people like me will value for years to come. The day I have to hug you congratulations for graduating is approaching too soon.

Nile Pierre and Emily Fornof, thank you. Thank you for guiding me since the very beginning, when I was a timid freshman who had no idea what a SEO was. I cannot stress enough how high you set the bar for me when you two served as Intersections editors. This whole year I’ve felt like I’ve had big shoes to fill. I would not be here without either of you.

I need to thank all other Intersections staff, including my co-editors, associates and contributing writers who define what Intersections is. Kila Moore, we were both there together since the beginning as Hullabaloo freshman who had no idea what we were doing. Thanks for the laughs and memories. Jess Galloway and Anne Holly, y’all were an absolute pleasure to work with as co-editors. All your stories were amazing to read, and I know for a fact y’all are capable of accomplishing only the absolute best in the future.

I want to thank the rest of the Hullabaloo staff who have supported Intersections before, during, and what will be after my time as section editor. Thank you to our amazing layout editor Emma Vaughters, who always stunned me with her graphic work every week. Thank you to our copy team for always making sure there aren’t Oxford commas in my articles and for much more. Everyone involved with Intersections cohesion has made an impact and will not go unrecognized.

My work to ensure that everyone’s voice matters on this campus is far from over. Our work is far from over. At the end of the day, however, we must never forget our self-worth and our power. We have the power to achieve whatever we damn please, as long as we remember that we matter. You matter.

-Hugo Fajardo,

Intersections Editor

[email protected]

Pronouns: he, him, his