Sophie Lange Headshot. (Photo by Nicholas Lange)
By Sophie Lange, Managing Editor
It is hard to believe we are over halfway through the spring semester, and as a senior, I am certain I am not alone in saying that my time at Gettysburg feels far shorter than four years. In many ways, I feel as though I just got here, and yet, in less than two months, the Class of 2026 will walk through Pennsylvania Hall and emerge as graduates. As my final semester at Gettysburg draws to a close, I have come to realize that one of the greatest gifts I received from this institution is the power of communication.
In many ways, the ability to communicate is the uniting factor among us all. Humanity has spent lifetimes developing spoken language, writing systems and, more recently, channels for digital correspondence across the globe. Initially, sure, these methods were born of necessity, but reducing them to such simplicity would diminish the wonders we have constructed through our desire to communicate our emotions and experiences with one another. Through this longing for human connection, we have created some of the most spectacular works of art and literature.
In my time at Gettysburg, I have discovered that I, too, have the ability to communicate with others, both effectively and confidently. Going all the way back to my First-Year Seminar (“Green Eggs and Government Cheese,” if you were wondering), I had to learn how to collaborate and compromise with my classmates during group projects, in both written and verbal contexts. At first, it was difficult, and I struggled to come out of my shell. Then, I joined The Gettysburgian as a contributing writer in October 2022, and thus began my discovery of the ways in which we can use the written word to connect with one another.
This past December, I presented my capstone on water quality in Adams County in front of an entire department of professors and peers in collaboration with one of my fellow environmental studies majors. If you had told me four years ago that I would be speaking in front of that many people, I would have laughed, but it is thanks to the support I have received from faculty and friends that I have been able to arrive where I am now — preparing to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, Spanish, and Public Policy.
In the fall, I will begin a new chapter of my life in Syracuse University’s Master of Public Administration program, where I will bring with me all of the opportunities and abilities afforded to me by my education at Gettysburg, with effective communication in a changing world being perhaps the most vital of them all. In this issue of The Gettysburgian, many of our stories explore how we use communication to connect with one another, including a spotlight on two community members who are studying art history at Gettysburg, a focus on the college’s latest design updates, and a feature on WZBT Gettysburg, the college’s student-run radio station.
Yours Truly,
Sophie Lange
This article originally appeared on page 2 of the March 2026 edition of The Gettysburgian magazine.
