*tap* *tap*

Is this thing on?

Hello, my name is Elias Schuster, and I am extremely excited to be accepting this position on behalf of the Academy, otherwise known as The Daily Illini Editor-in-Chief Abby Paeth, who gave me this award.

Now bear with me through an acceptance speech.

Having the chance to take over the position of sports editor at this wonderful publication is a complete honor; however, I didn’t just end up here.

I walked through the doors of The Daily Illini office as a freshman for an interview only about a month after stepping onto campus in August 2015. Ever since my early high school years, I knew journalism was a field that would suit me well.

I pinpoint my moment of realization back to a visit I made to the CNN Center in Atlanta. I rode a long, slow escalator through a cut-out globe. I reached the top and started a tour where I saw journalists in their natural habitat: chaos. Strangely enough, I was immediately captivated.

I loved the hustle. I loved the pace. I loved the fact that every single minute could bring something new.

When I walked out of the doors on that summer day, I had a career path in mind. Although I’m not going to lie and say that later that day I didn’t consider a career at the World of Coca-Cola, which is also in Atlanta, that’s beside the point.

For the next handful of years, my passion for journalism would only grow, and I knew that once I began my college education, it would be time to push myself in almost every way possible. I applied to The Daily Illini as a freshman with no hesitation, and after a lousy sports exam accompanied by a decent-at-best interview, I was hired to the sports staff.

Originally, I was assigned to be a video sports reporter. I entered with a staff of about five, and it only took about three weeks for me to be the only one left standing. I listened to my editor and became his production assistant. The new title allowed for me to edit football videos together and begin covering Illinois basketball games.

After a year in this position, I moved up to being at the helm of the sports video section and stayed there for two years. I have now covered Illinois football and basketball for the past three seasons and will be making it a fourth when my senior campaign kicks off with the first game of the Illini football season in fall 2018.

My still-developing journalistic history expands far past this information, but to sum it all up, I have apparently done enough to earn myself the title of sports editor.

I plan to create and develop content that matters for this position that matters. The Daily Illini will be sharing stories about revenue sports and non-revenue sports alike. Equality, diversity, hard work and, yes, fun will be demonstrated by the staff on a daily basis. I am not sitting in this position to tell anyone what to do; instead, I sit here with the hope that I can show people what they can do.

I think I’m about to be played off.

I want to thank my parents for pushing me to do what I love. I want to to thank Masaki Sugimoto for being a great mentor during my freshman start. I want to thank professor Jean McDonald for telling me to give it a go. Lastly, I want to thank those who have stood by me.

I’ll hoist this newspaper (trophy) high.

@Schuster_Elias

[email protected]