Letter from the Editor: Through the Looking Glass

Dear Readers,

With the Commencement Issue—and the final Indy Thursday of the semester—approaching, it felt only right to reflect on the past five months in this extraordinary, challenging role. 

I’ve loved to write for as long as I can remember. Something goes right? Pick up the pencil. Something goes wrong? Open the Google Doc. Writing has become a true extension of the way I think, understand, and feel. But this role has required more than just a longing and love to write; it’s required a deep-seated conviction in the power of the printed word. 

Since our founding in 1969, when Harvard student protests during the Vietnam War sparked a wave of political and social involvement on campus, the “Harvard Independent” has been a platform in Cambridge and beyond for students and writers to share their perspectives unabashedly. Over fifty years later, the “Harvard Independent” remains a place where counterculture ideas are heard—a space for every voice in the room.

Our writers, editors, and staff alike continue to enjoy the fruits of this one-of-a-kind publication as they defend the issues, ideas, and subjects that drive them. This is a privilege and a platform that is not representative of most news and media outlets around the country.

It is my responsibility, then, as Editor-in-Chief, to ensure that our coverage is as widely accessible as possible, regarding both readership and contributions. The development of our website, social media presence, subscription system, and on-campus distribution continues to develop and broaden the scope of our reach. By continuing to invest in each of our four editorial sections—News, Forum, Sports, and Arts—we represent a diverse, evolving collection of student voices across Harvard-affiliated schools, from student-athletes to writers across concentrations in the humanities, STEM, and social science departments. Our writers embody this campus’s diversity of backgrounds, political beliefs, and interests. 

Since we hit the ground running with our first issue on January 29, “Turning the Page,” the “Harvard Independent” has been published weekly since. We have stayed true to signature Indy issue themes, like the “Counterculture” issue and the “Weed” issue, and brought in new staples of our own: the history issue, “Roots,” and our first “Pop Culture” issue.

We’ve launched three new columns: “Kitchen Sink,” “John Harvard’s Left Foot,” and “Exploring American Hometowns.” We’ve introduced a weekly comic strip into our Arts section, diversified content within the Sports section, fielded guest Forum submissions from writers at the Harvard Kennedy School, and continued to cover Harvard breaking news. 

The “Harvard Independent” is evolving in exciting, unpredictable ways, reaching more and more members of our broader community. Over the past ten years, our annual membership has grown by 150 members, the number of issues published in a given semester has tripled, and our semesterly website visits are reaching close to 1 million. The “Harvard Independent” is developing rapidly. 

In our first Letter From the Editor, “The Next Chapter,” President Mia Tavares ’27 and I committed to audaciously trying, spectacularly failing, and ultimately succeeding, over and over again. Whether it’s integrating comics into the design editorial workflow, brainstorming ways to revitalize weekly meetings in our office space, or solving layout crises late Wednesday night, this past semester has been a crash course after crash course in taking risks, sorting the chaos, and watching this publication succeed time and time again. 

To our graduating senior writers—You have shaped this community and publication in indelible ways: Layla Chaaraoui ’26, Jonah Karafiol ’26, Luke Wagner ’26, Adedoyin Adebayo ’26, Alejandro Sanchez ’26, Heidi Heffelfinger ’26, Kate Oliver ’26, Kayla Reifel ’26, and Franny Connors ’26. Your commitment to this paper, dedication to showing up, and courage to write every week are what make the “Harvard Independent” the enduring institution that it is. You will all be missed so dearly. 

To our new class of Indy writers and members—Welcome! Carry with you our 57-year legacy of being the voice of the counterculture. Let this promise shape the way you write, show up, and contribute to this space. The content we see hit the newsstands every Thursday does not happen by accident. We make and sustain it. 

And lastly, to our readers—Continue to read the Indy. Flip through our pages, challenge your preconceived point of view, and expand your ideas—of yourself, the world, and the community we inhabit. And if you ever have something to write or say, you know where to find us. 

As I look ahead to our final issue of the semester, three summer editions, and next fall, I am excited for what is to come—the messiness and the magic. This chaos is something wonderful.

Always changing, always growing, always Indy,

Rania Jones

Rania Jones ’27 (rjones@college.harvard.edu) is the Editor-in-Chief of the “Harvard Independent.”