Junior Jesse Goldberg, Lamron editor-in-chief-elect, is a self-identified "fiercely interdisciplinary student." He majors in English and philosophy, but considers The Lamron to be a defining aspect of his identity at Geneseo.
Goldberg wrote his first article for the news section in his freshman year. From there, he climbed the ranks in the news section, serving on the editorial board as a sophomore.
"It was good for me in terms of what goes into it and how people work together," he said. "It's really nice looking at The Lamron and knowing I was a big part of putting that together." As news editor, Goldberg kept a large news staff involved while pursuing his own fervent goal of objectivity in news writing.
Goldberg has written for the opinion section for just as long. While he prides himself on being objective, he said, "I am a person who has very strong beliefs, so it's been good to write in a venue where I can express those opinions." He noted that this practice forces him to see the difference in the two modes of writing.
Goldberg will serve as editor-in-chief for the 2011-2012 school year. "The Lamron has been so engrained in the fabric of my life that it feels right to be … in a leadership position that most concretely determines the direction of the paper," he said. Next year, he hopes to "transcend boundaries between the reader and writer" by improving The Lamron's online presence as well as its visibility as a campus organization.
Goldberg came to Geneseo with only a nascent interest in journalism, but he was equipped with a third-degree black belt in kempo, a "slightly unhealthy obsession" with heavy metal and an unrelenting desire to pursue truth.
Goldberg has had little time to focus on martial arts – he is still a member of Geneseo's Karate club – but the 15 years he has dedicated to kempo have been integral in shaping who he is today.
He attributes his leadership abilities, hunger for knowledge, interest in the conceptual and bringing it into practice, self-discipline and self-accountability to this background. "It's not what I do – It's who I am," he said, adding that he considers his sensei, or martial arts teacher, to be his single greatest influence.
During his first semester of college, Goldberg enrolled in two classes that would shape his academic interests.
As an honors student, he took philosophy professor Stacey Edgar's Honors 101: Nature of Inquiry, and found himself immersed in "the big questions," a term he borrows from philosophy department chair Carlo Filice. This class eventually led him to declaring a philosophy major.
Yet English remains at the core of Goldberg's academic pursuits. "I want to do philosophy through literature," he said.
That first semester also included "his most influential class at Geneseo," professor Beth McCoy's English 237: African American Migration Narratives. "That class taught me that being an English major was more than giving a critical analysis of a text, but becoming a better reader of people and of our world," he said.
After three years as an enthusiastic student of his self-crafted rigorous curriculum, Goldberg feels that he is ready to hone his interests into a career path. He plans to apply to graduate schools for English in the pursuit of becoming a college professor. "I want to work in a school that, like Geneseo does, focuses its professors on teaching – I want to teach – that's my one hope for what happens in my career."
The rest of us hope he becomes an advisor for the student newspaper.