Aug. 22, 2022
I don’t want to be covering SG … I’m trying to go into it with an open mind, but at the moment, it’s feeling pretty bleak. At least I get to cover the concert though!
The call came at my parent’s house. I’d made it onto The Alligator’s staff, and I’d be covering Student Government. “Don’t worry,” they said. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
That month, I left South Florida and learned the best path from Hume Hall to the Reitz Union Senate Chambers. I listened to Joey Bada$$’s entire discography before my first day of college, so I could identify and write about the songs he played at the Student Government Productions concert.
To Alan, Makiya and Isabella: Thanks for knowing better than me. I thought SG was the hazing beat — the one editors gave to unassuming freshmen who didn’t know better than to take it. But SG grew on me, and so did UF.
Jan. 30, 2023
I think Christian and I are getting closer, which is nice because I needed a friend. Same with Claire. I’m just happy I found people here.
A bike malfunction meant I was 15 minutes late to my first Alligator meeting. Aurora, my editor, met me at the Gainesville Sun’s side door, back when our office was a skinny first-floor room lined with tight desks and not enough seats. I sat on one of the few open squares on the floor and marveled at a room full of people who shared my love for journalism.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of the people I met in this room. Yes, friends for life. But also peers, colleagues and mentors — people I know will be a phone call away as we take parallel paths through the industry.
To Aurora, Claire and Christian: Thank you for teaching me everything I know. More than likely, The Alligator won’t be the last publication we share.
Jan. 7, 2024
Just got home from my first official day as an editor! Yay!! It’s really fun. I love the people on it already … I love that feeling of taking pride in the whole desk, not just my stories.
The night of the Valentine’s Day party, the university desk met at my apartment and made friendship bracelets. It’s lucky the beading kit, which SJ found in the trunk of her car, contained just enough letters for us all to match. U-N-I.
Editing is the hardest yet most rewarding job I’ve done. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to do it for the rest of my life.
To Delia, Annie, SJ and Sydney: I’m so proud of you. Not that you need my support — you all are exceptional at what you do. If you need anything, I’ll be there.
July 28, 2024
You’re looking at The Alligator’s Fall 2024 Engagement Managing Editor…! I’m so, so, so happy … I think it only just set in today. I had a 2+ hour call with Siena and Ella (which, dream team, right!) and we are largely on the same page. Selfishly, I’m excited to get closer with them as friends. But I know we’re about to get this paper into great shape. I’m just so excited.
I got the call in Orlando, in the second-floor apartment I called home that summer. I cried so much that my roommate, Lauren (who I also met at The Alligator), couldn’t tell if they were happy or sad tears.
I remember worrying about what type of leader I’d be. I remember sitting next to Siena and Ella at the front of the conference room for our first meeting, a far bigger space than the one I started in, and thinking I didn’t deserve to be there.
It became quickly apparent that even if I didn’t know what I was doing, they did. To Siena and Ella: Thank you for your guidance, mentorship and friendship. I want to be both of you when I grow up.
July 25, 2025
I am so happy. It’s happening!!! … they gave me the job!!! I am editor-in-chief of The Alligator!!!
The best part of this semester was knowing I could change the paper for the better.
The first few days of my editorship were teeming with hope and anticipation. I got to work immediately, making spreadsheets and building a powerhouse staff. I consulted the notes app document dating back to freshman year I had filled with ideas for the paper.
The worst part of this semester was knowing it would end.
To this semester’s editors — Maria, Megan, Corey, Luke, Mandy, Sydney, Noah, Juliana, Pristine, Shaine and Vera Lucia: You are incredible. Don’t leave journalism; it needs people like you. I hope The Alligator leaves as much of a mark on you as it did on me.
To Sophia and Zoey: Thank you for being the best teammates and friends I could ask for. You are the embodiment of tenacious reporters and thoughtful editors. I’ll miss our Dancing with the Stars watch parties.
To The Alligator: Thanks for giving my college years a purpose. I’m honored to be part of this paper’s legacy.
Alissa Gary was the Fall 2025 editor-in-chief.
Alissa is the Fall 2025 editor-in-chief of The Alligator. She has previously been engagement managing editor and university editor, and she has covered stories across UF and Gainesville. She was also an intern at the Orlando Sentinel and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her cat and take care of her plants.
