On Monday night, I sat in The Daily Iowan on my phone, reading through Twitter as I typically do from time to time. I’m a journalist. I read the news.

As I came across the tweets with the hashtag, #DoesUIowaLoveMe, I was glued to my screen and read as much as I could find. Reading the stories of University of Iowa students and their experiences was eye-opening. Simply put, I learned a lot from so many of my fellow students.

As a First-Gen student, I have faced a few challenges, but I also recognize my privileges and the fact that I do not and will never experience what my peers were sharing on social media this week.

I want the UI community to understand that The Daily Iowan is here to listen to you. We want to hear your stories. But we also understand that those who were sharing their stories may need time as well as understanding. Our newsroom is open to you and your stories. My email and direct messages on Twitter are open to you and your stories. Journalism exists to serve communities and uncover injustice. This is a principle I believe in and one that I, as editor-in-chief, instill in my staff.

We are an independent student newspaper. We are a nonprofit organization. Our goal is to cover and serve our community, and we try to the best of our ability to get it right. Of course, in the 150 years the DI has been around, this has not always been done perfectly. Journalists miss stories, work fast because of deadlines, and may not always see the bigger picture.

Some areas of our campus may feel they are not covered as well as others. The DI does not intend to underrepresent any community on campus, and representation is something the DI strives for every day. We will do even more work in the near future to address this issue and improve so that all of our readers can engage with the DI and see themselves reflected in our coverage.

However, the DI is learning. I am learning. We are here to listen to you about anything. That is our job. Help us understand where you are coming from. I can promise you that the intentions of the DI are always good. The biggest lessons I have learned this year surround the theme of intention vs. impact, and how sometimes intentions aren’t going to always be clearly communicated based on multiple variables.

I want to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or come visit our newsroom for a couple of minutes and say hello. I am almost always here. The DI is the newspaper for the UI community. Our staffers are not only journalists but we are also a part of your community, and we want to produce the best work possible.

We are listening.