Dear Readers,
Welcome to another edition of the Pacific Sentinel.
As we enter into the final stretch of this academic year, we are each facing our own challenges. Be it burnout, senioritis, financial trouble, or any other matter of setbacks, we’re each here trying to push forward through Portland’s winter blues that yet linger with each rainy day. And yet, we are resilient. Even though we face these hardships, and despite the doom and gloom of social media and the American political landscape, we continue to aim for a brighter future. I feel this hope and uncertainty with each passing day. As graduation nears, and Spring life blooms in our city, I continually ask myself what the future holds. Not just for me, but for all of us. And when the sun comes shining through the shattered eaves of the park block trees, warming the student body that lingers outside just a moment longer before shuttling into our classrooms, I’m reminded of the hard work that we each put to get to where we are now. And it gives me hope.
In this issue of the Pacific Sentinel, we’ve allowed ourselves the freedom of no particular theme. Despite holding no hard guidelines, I’m continually amazed by the interesting and passionate content submitted by our student contributors. From Courtney Jeffs’s review of the popular television adaptation of The Last of Us, to Becky Phillips’s visit to Portland’s Crystal Spring Gardens, and to the very special satirized essay titled How to Write About African Women by Portland State’s Assistant Professor of Black Studies, Dr. Bright Alozie, and his Winter class, you’ll find plenty here while you’re rejuvenating in Spring sun, waiting for your next class to start.
With this issue, we also enter into the final stretch of the Pacific Sentinel as you know it. With most of our staff, myself included, graduating at the end of this school year, we hope that we can make these last few issues better than anything we’ve done before. But come June, we will need new students to take up this project and bring it into the new year. If you’re interested in what we do, or have your own ideas on how it can be improved, please reach out and let us know.
As always, thank you for your support and we’re more excited than ever about what’s to come.
With respect,
Dan Chilton
