Posted By Vincent DiFonzo on May 5, 2025 | 1 comment

This article originally appeared on page 2 of the No. 6 April 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine

I arrived for my first semester here on August 25, 2021. I was absolutely terrified — I’ve always been a quiet, shy person. I’ve never been that person who can easily adapt to a brand new environment. How was I going to find my place at Gettysburg? For a while, it felt like I hadn’t. 

No matter where I turned, however, I knew I needed to embrace something new. I first joined the Gettysburgian staff as a sophomore. Admittedly, throughout my first year, I barely even read The Gettysburgian, nor did I understand the importance of college newspapers. But I did not have my place back then, I desperately wanted to find it, and I liked writing, so my thought process was essentially “why not try it out?” Fast forward nearly three years, and it is safe to say I don’t regret walking into that first Gettysburgian meeting. 

Vincent DiFonzo ’25 (Photo Sofia Gutierrez/The Gettysburgian)

The past year has been anything but easy. A lot has happened since classes began in August around the world, across the country and here in Gettysburg. We are living through difficult times. I knew this entering the academic year back in August, but admittedly, I did not expect this sheer volume and scope of important stories affecting Gettysburg College. But with each story, we approached with curiosity and a desire to report the truth, even when it led to unexpected places.

Taking and digesting criticism while trying to cover breaking stories and succeeding in my classes, all while making deadlines and ensuring that our work accurately reflects Gettysburg College was admittedly quite an exhausting task at times. And even though this isn’t a paid position, I’d be lying if I said I regretted a single second of time spent on The Gettysburgian. 

As I am writing this on April 7, 2025, I have been sitting on the second floor of Musselman Library, struggling to think of some sort of inspirational note or funny tid-bit to share here. Ultimately, what I decided to communicate in this final note is that your time at Gettysburg College is both short and full of unknowns. But each unknown is an opportunity — to find your community, to contribute to something you care about, to embrace the unknown. Without embracing some unknowns and taking some risks, then what’s the point of challenging yourself by attending college in the first place? 

I certainly do not believe I made the absolute most of my experience. I, like most, have many regrets, such as opportunities I rejected or was too fearful to take on. But I am satisfied with my time here. I found my passion for journalism, learned from so many incredible people including fellow students, staff and faculty, and ultimately, I am walking out of Gettysburg College as a much more confident person. 

In the final magazine issue of this academic year, we cover professor Randy Wilson’s new award-winning book on Yellowstone, detail the history of astronomy at Gettysburg College and highlight some of the best sports moments of the year from Gettysburg’s talented student-athletes. 

Every day, I will miss The Gettysburgian, the Gettysburg College community and the people who have made this school what it is. 

Vincent DiFonzo

Editor-in-Chief, The Gettysburgian