Standing with turtles, walking with cats, stuff that doesn’t involve animals: Nexus staff look back at 2019

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Every year, Nexus staff like to take a quick look back at the 12 months that just passed and give our top five favourite moments and something we’d rather not see return in the coming year. 2019 featured no shortage of highs and lows, and our tireless staff were there to report on them, while also dealing with the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a student newspaper, as well as being students and being, you know, human beings.

Here’s a look back at the year that was 2019, seen through the eyes of those putting together Nexus for you.

Adam Marsh, student editor

1) Training new Nexus volunteers. It can be hit and miss, but when you introduce someone to a new line of work, hobby, or passion, nothing beats that.

2) Looking after my 21-year-old cat… She literally refuses to die. We can all learn from her.

3) Taking time to read books unrelated to school or work.

4) Standing in Fisher with the turtles. Camosun’s like a tiny town. Enjoy it while you’re here!

5) Finding Dave Hause’s album Kick. It rules, and I keep coming back to it.

One thing I don’t want to see in 2020:

Trump.

2019 was a busy year for Nexus; here’s a look back at some of the highlights–and lowlights–for the staffers (file photo).

Greg Pratt, managing editor

1) The birth of my happy baby boy Russell.

2) Realizing that April 1, 2020 falls on a Nexus publication day.

3) Seeing a ton of new, eager volunteers coming through our doors and then proceeding to kill it in the paper this year.

4) Watching the tireless Nexus student staffers settle into their roles—new and returning—and making the paper something to be proud of.

5) Taking the brakes off my bike in order to attempt to do smoother BMX flatland tricks and only really hurting myself a handful of times.

One thing I don’t want to see in 2020:

Freedom of Information results coming back completely redacted: this is a slap in the face to the very concept of “freedom of information.”

Tiegan Suddaby, features writer

1) Talking to Chris Bowes of Alestorm and making my 13-year-old self think that I’m actually cool.

2) Asking those special questions that make my interviewees talk for, like, 10 minutes.

3) Pretending I’m a medieval scholar in my English classes.

4) Pretending I’m a Victorian scholar in my Anthropology class, minus all the Victorian values.

5) Getting a haul of hip young volunteers for Nexus so someone understands my jokes.

One thing I don’t want to see in 2020:

Boring hair dye colours. Bring on the unique!

Emily Welch, staff writer

1) Becoming a writer for Nexus.

2) Discovering how much I still love to write (huge!).

3) Getting to read all sorts of horror literature in Max Oleson’s Weird Fiction class

4) The coming home of our new kitten Hijinks and the fact that our other cat did not eat him.

5) Taking our cats for walks (unleashed) in the Highlands every evening.

One thing I don’t want to see in 2020:

When our other cat, Loki, went missing for a week. I thought I’d never see him again, and it was one of the scariest and saddest weeks of my life. I definitely do not want to go through that again anytime soon.