Welcome to the Ascent!
Welcome to 2026 and to the winter quarter! As the new year is upon us, we return with our winter newsletter to fill you in on what’s been going on at Wavelength and with the Wavelength staff. Change is our constant state of operation at this point, whether that’s routine changes such as staff graduating and new hires being welcomed, or considerable changes such as our new website, which we launched during fall quarter of 2025. As soon as there’s a lull, I think we find ourselves riddled with anticipation of what is to come, not in fear of change, but with enthusiasm, as it means we have reached another stage of our ascent.
As staff members graduate and move to their next endeavors, we’re happy to see them succeeding and flourishing in the post-grad world; once a part of Wavelength, they will always be a part of Wavelength. Last year, Shayna and Ronan graduated, but we welcomed a new audio/video editor, Brent, to the staff! In addition to the new staff member, we were excited to welcome pro-staff member Katie, who Lily spent the summer working with on some major projects for Wavelength. Since the first edition of the Ascent two years ago, there have been many significant changes at Wavelength: we moved offices, got a new website, rebranded, and started a volunteer program! Still, through these changes, the heart of Wavelength stays the same, our mission being to publish and create multimedia focused on the student experience through student perspectives.
Entering the new year, we are thinking about all the people we are grateful to for helping Wavelength persist, whether they know it or not. If we thanked everyone individually, we could be here for hours, so I will try to be concise—still, though I am concise now, just know that we are eternally grateful to everyone who has gotten us where we are today. First we must thank all our Student Engagement peers. We love working with all of you and feel grateful to have such amazing people surrounding us! Second, we’d like to thank our friends and families who have supported each of us so that we may be here. Next, we would like to show our gratitude for our pro-staff, Katie! Though she has been with Wavelength for only a short time, Katie has become an essential part of the office. We are excited to continue working with her to grow as a team. Lastly, we must thank all of you, the students: Wavelength would be nothing without you. Thank you for keeping up with everything we create and publish, following along as we continue trying to document every aspect of the student experience.
We hope that in the last year we have represented the student body well, and that all students know we are here to represent you in the most sincere and honest way we can, doing our best to show the honest experiences of student life. As your peers and fellow students, we know firsthand the joys and challenges of being a student, and we hope that is authentically displayed in our work.
Lily
This fall, Lily began her second year as Wavelength’s director and her fourth year on staff. She is both excited and amazed by how both short and long the last couple of years have gone by. As mentioned, she spent the summer in Bellingham continuing her work at Wavelength behind the scenes, getting the opportunity to create the new volunteer program, website, and branding. In 2025, she started her last full year of undergrad and moved for what is now like the thousandth time in the last six years. She is excited for the new year and everything it holds and cannot wait to see all the projects the staff create. Lily would like to thank the staff “for going along with all the shenanigans around the office and just being great.” She would also like to thank Katie, Wavelength’s new pro-staff for “being excited about Wavelength, seeing the potential in it that the staff see, and motivating us to grow and be the best.”
Molly
In 2025, Molly began her second (and final) year on staff as Wavelength’s writer and editor. She created many projects and articles about lots of stuff, but, most notably, she talked to some alumni about their lives, interviewed lots of couples about how they met—including her and her partner, Rubin—and wrote a bit more about the Miller Hall monkeys and break-ins. She got a cat—or something that resembles a cat—whom she named Not Teaspoons (most people know her as Spoons), played over 750 games of cards, and got a shiny, new (used) Subaru Crosstrek after her Mini literally crapped out on the highway. She would like to thank her partner, Rubin; her “jumping-spider-cat," Not Teaspoons; the tiny dictionary that she carries around in her bag at all times; the concept of panpsychism; and “anyone who has ever made [her] a cup of coffee.” Finally, she would also like to thank “Gus the goose,” her childhood dog who passed away at 16 this year, for “being [her] best friend up until the very end.”
Meg
This year, Meg started her second year on Wavelength’s staff as the marketing and outreach coordinator. Looking ahead, she’s excited to start making new and interesting projects about student life. In 2025, Meg saw Alanis Morrisette in concert, got two tattoos, gained several more hobbies, and is working to offset her bad movie intake by watching “actually good movies”—but “only occasionally.” She would like to thank her mother; her boyfriend, Jakob; her dear friends, both near and far; and her pets, Jenny and Rizzo; for their patience, encouragement, and love throughout the year.
Brent
Brent joined the staff in the spring of 2025 and is still somewhat new to the office but has quickly found his footing as the audio/video editor. They have edited many podcasts since being on the staff and are working on creating their own video projects this quarter. He also took over Style Spotlight in the fall, which was exciting, as it was Wavelength’s 11th Style Spotlight! We asked Brent what he would like to include about his 2025 and, after thorough consideration, he said that his summer was “boring,” and that he would “sometimes go to lakes and parks.” Though Lily tried as she might to get more of an answer out of him, saying that there is “simply no way he did nothing notable in 2025,” he was adamant that, no, he really didn't do anything notable in 2025. We’d like to take this opportunity to note, once again, that Brent joined the Wavelength staff in 2025, which we think is pretty notable. That being said, he would like to thank his mom, dad, and brother.
As 2025 is left behind us and 2026 begins, we continue the Ascent as it began. If you are unaware, the Ascent is the original title of Wavelength, defined as “a climb or walk to the summit, or the instance of rising through the air.” To me, this definition feels fitting. As we grow and change, we climb this metaphorical mountain, ascending our journey in search of the summit. Along the way, you may take a break or retreat to find a better route, but the summit will always be the goal, and you know you will make it. I hope you keep this in mind in the new year, inspired by the Ascent and all it can mean, knowing that your journey has only just begun and that the ascent is far from complete.
The Wavelength staff wishes you a happy new year and is looking forward to what 2026 holds for us all. We hope you will keep an eye out for all the amazing projects we are working on and plan to publish in the coming year. Wherever the ascent takes you, we hope you enjoy it.
