Effective January 1, 2018, Anna Kate Benedict (’20) will assume leadership of the Radish — author of such favorites as “Hotshot changes gym TV from House Hunters to CNN,” “A Borat impression from that guy on your hall,” and Weekly Horoscopes, she immediately came to mind as my first choice to head W&L’s Cherished Tradition of Excellence in News Reporting.
I started The Radish over Reading Days last year as a way to make sense of the 2016 Presidential Election, to provide a semi-journalistic alternative to interested students, and, most importantly, to bring much-needed lightheartedness to an otherwise hyper-serious campus. Since then, the website has been viewed by more than 110,000 visitors, has published work from almost 100 different students, and reaches 5,000-10,000 unique Facebook profiles per week despite being based on a campus of <2,000.
The Radish has been the highlight of my college career, but it is high time that I pursue other creative outlets, like training my Amazon Echo Dot to call me “Mr. Carson,” preparing my Mr. Incredible cosplay for “The Incredibles 2” release next year, and finding even part-time employment with my humanities degree. I hope that, when I come back for Young Alumni Weekend in 10 years, I’ll still be able to find a familiar treasure trove of Barbour-centric satire to keep me honest.
Thanks for reading,
—Ford Carson ‘18
The Radish 