As we put together this issue, one theme kept resurfacing: expression. Whether it’s in the form of a decorated graduation cap, a handmade zine or a bird mask crafted in the MakerSpace, Columbia students are constantly finding ways to say, “This is who I am.”

But what if you’re too tired to make anything?

Students talked candidly about the pressure to stay productive even when their bodies are begging them to stop. Weed, melatonin, insomnia and anxiety appear not as outliers, but as regular parts of student life. It’s a reminder that creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum — it’s shaped by energy, time, mental health and community.

This is the last issue I will oversee as the editor-in-chief of the Columbia Chronicle, so I pushed for stories that mattered most to students, especially future Columbia students who will be passing by our newsstands this summer. These stories explore what it means to be a student here: the wins, the worries and the ways we each make our own path.

Many of the students we highlight are pursuing their creativity in deeply personal, non-linear ways. As I graduate this May, alongside many of my Chronicle peers, witnessing this new generation of makers, dreamers and late-night thinkers motivates me to keep creating beyond Columbia’s walls. 

Without the school’s spaces like the MakerSpace and without the guidance of thoughtful faculty, many of these stories wouldn’t have been possible.

That’s part of why we are including the college’s Manifest program as an insert in our issue, to encourage students to support one another by stepping into a space that proudly celebrates everyone’s work.

We’ve also decided to continue holding off on publishing these stories online until a week after the issue hits stands. Our hope is that this encourages readers to pick up a physical copy fresh off the press, a small yet impactful way to support the work our student staff has poured into this month’s issue.

This issue is a reflection of the spirit that keeps moving through our campus, one that is always making — sometimes boldly, sometimes quietly — but always making. 

We hope our May issue speaks to you. And maybe, if needed, gives you permission to pause and rest, too.

Copy edited by Manuel Nocera