YOUR SIGNAL: UHCL student-run newspaper past and present staff reflect on 40-year milestone

"I became a much better writer; much more concise."

"We were competing with the time. The responsibility and concentration and also paying attention were the things for me that I enjoyed while learning and creating something at the same time."

"It helped to gain experience in design and coding and after graduating I landed some good jobs, and then started my own web design and marketing firm in 2005 called Fair Marketing, which is still going strong today."

"It prepared me with knowledge and hands-on training for the working world. As editor, I experienced chasing stories, interviewing important sources, editing copy, overseeing the newspaper staff, finding worthy story ideas, and so much more."

"It was the best time! There’s nothing like the feeling you get on publication night. The energy everyone brought and the way everyone worked together [and] made lasting friendships and memories."

"It was a great experience. The newspaper taught me how to meet deadlines, properly interview people and work as a team to create a weekly newspaper."

"It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot from Taleen, Lindsay and my peers. Everyone is such a joy to work with. The Signal was my second home at UHCL and I looked forward to coming back there everyday!"

"I gained my first sports blog writing experience at the newspaper when I created the newspaper's sports blog [Sports Talk]. I landed an internship at a sports radio station and wrote professionally for them. I am now in the Pro Sports PR industry."

"It helped me hone in on my leadership skills in a media related environment. I now work in higher education doing audio visual work for classrooms and the campus as well as education related video content creation for classes and the campus."

"Very thankful for the opportunity to be in that class and have mentors as Taleen and Lindsay to help guide me in the right direction. Even today, I always have them in mind as I work on different projects. I have learned a lot from them."

"Working for the Signal was one of my favorite aspects of my time at UHCL. The newsroom became a second home for me because I was surrounded by people I adore and I was doing what I loved."

"40 years is quite an accomplishment and I'm very proud to have played a small part of such a great college publication."

"A unique experience. I never understood what went on ‘behind the scenes’ at a newspaper. In hindsight, it was a group of eager kids hoping to come together to find passion for their school and learning."

"Congratulations on the great accomplishment and creating a fine legacy for UHCL."

"More and more, I'm running in to people who graduated from UHCL and worked on The Signal staff. And these people are always successful, so I think that's a huge testament to the UHCL communications program, including The Signal."

"After the first two weeks, it is clockwork. Very fun. Interviewing, finding facts, story ideas around campus, researching."

"It helped made me a well rounded employee with the ability to jump in and work in several different positions at my company. I work for Southwest Airlines."

"I believe it is UHCL's duty to enhance and encourage student reporting. We have remarkable alumni who have gone to do incredible things that can attribute parts of their success to being on The Signal newspaper staff."

"Immerse yourself, even if you [as a future staff member] don't want to. It is likely your last few semesters of your college career, and the memories will stay with you forever."

"[To future staff members], be fearless. As comfortable as I was, you still need to step into the deep end and experience being uncomfortable a bit. It’ll suck, but you’ll grow. I promise."

"Y’all are awesome! Because the students have so much say in what goes into the paper, I think The Signal will continue running and getting even better with each year!"

"Congratulations! Thank you for working to create an environment that fuels future writers in the many careers they will pursue."

"I have worked at UHCL for 26 of the 40 years, and hope that the publication continues to supply information about UHCL and the local community. It is essential that information be supplied to the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of UHCL."

"I enjoyed writing and editing and getting to work as a team in those areas."

"The newspaper has given the students that are normally quiet, a voice to tell or share a story. It gave us confidence and courage to write, and for that I thank you."

"Taught me how to be more active in getting work done. I learned how to be more forward and less shy, basically because I just didn't have that kind of time to waste. I'm a Facility Operations Manager now. I supervise most of the employees."

"This was the best class I took at UHCL. I'm glad it's a requirement because it gives you a taste of what it's like being a writer after college. Taleen and her staff may be tough on you, but it's because they want to see you succeed!"

"Being on staff gave me a diverse outlook on where my skills could take me beyond just writing. It gave me a strong skill set to be a creator and work on a team where everyone could play to their strengths to achieve a common goal."

"It's a pleasure to be working with such an incredible team and to be able to see all the newspaper has accomplished in the past 40 years. Thank you The Signal!"

"Working for The Signal had been so much fun. It’s given me the opportunity to heighten my writing, critical thinking and people skills. It has also brought me to a place where I feel like I can do anything in the comm field."

"Easily the best on-campus job a student can have (and I mean it)."

"It’s amazing to see a true student ran newspaper in the works from start to finish. The core staff truly supports and wants the best for the paper, which shows its longevity."

"I would like to say that it is awesome that our reporting has been going on 40 years. Now lets try to double that amount! Woohoo!"

"It has been a really eye-opening experience. When I would read articles before I would respect the writing and the work that went into it, but now it is so much more - especially news/feature and investigative writing."

"It is absolutely incredible that our publication has been consecutively reporting for so long, and it makes me very proud to be part of it!"

"The Signal has evolved so much over the past 40 plus years and to be a part of this milestone is exciting. This job has allowed me to grow not only in my profession and skills, but also as a person."