This column is a part of a series of alums reflecting on their time at The Eagle in celebration of our 100th anniversary. If you would like to submit a column, visit this page. The Eagle is also fundraising to support its future. If you’d like to give a donation to support The Eagle, please consider doing so here.
When I think about my time writing for The Eagle, I can’t help but remember how improbable that opportunity was for someone who was told, only a few years prior, that they were the worst writer their high school English teacher had ever had the “misfortune to teach.” It wasn’t until getting to American University and meeting a professor who unknowingly reignited my confidence that I even considered sharing my writings again, and it wasn’t long until I sent a letter to The Eagle’s editorial team.
Imagine my surprise when my letter was published in the next issue, and I was asked if I wanted to contribute regularly as a featured columnist with no restrictions on topics! I jumped at the opportunity, and “Stream of Consciousness” was a regular feature in which I could talk about my thoughts on life, my place in the world and what it all meant—from gender roles and romance to politics and the meaning of life. I’m still thinking about all of those topics today, though my frame of reference comes from a different perspective.
Those early opportunities to express myself and experiment with the space I was given in issue after issue codified my confidence in my ability to express myself. And while I did not pursue an avenue in the public forum to express my views, what I learned was instrumental in the various written pieces I’ve created over the years for a business that I run to this day. It taught me how to engage with an audience, how to promote my ideas and how to clear my head so I can continually make space for stronger ideas. It meant so much to me that I still have copies of every issue I was fortunate enough to be published in.
But, my love of The Eagle might be a unique one, because I don’t just have to talk about my experience as a member of The Eagle in the ‘90s; I also get the incredible experience of being a proud father to a current writer and section editor, Alia Messina, my daughter who is in her sophomore year at AU. Watching her find her way to the paper and seeing the topics she’s been drawn to only shows us how much we have in common at a place where we both found a home, but also how differently we approached the same topics 28 years apart.
I marvel at the ease with which she can write in a way that removes the subjective perspective I relied on, positioning her stories with grace and removing the sense of self that so much “news” is reliant on today. She tells a story without letting her emotions get in the way; a perspective largely lacking in today’s media. (I’m a bit biased though, what can I say?!)
I will always remember heading up to the offices to deliver my columns, wondering if I went too far, not far enough or hit a nerve. I will always remember the rush of seeing one of my pieces in the paper. But mostly…I will always remember the way in which one member of the editorial team, Steve Lott, gave me the gift of letting me find a piece of myself that had been lost. As it turned out, it was the opportunity to write for The Eagle that was the single fondest memory I had of my time at American.
James Messina SOC/B.A. ‘98 was a featured columnist for The Eagle under his “Stream of Consciousness” column.
