As the academic year comes to a close, it is time to say goodbye to the graduating Justice seniors. All were essential members of the paper, and this board wants to take the time to appreciate their hard work and passionate personalities, both in and out of the office.

Maintaining an eye for detail and a high journalistic standard, Kirby Kochanowski led the Justice’s Features section with the grace and ease of a professional. Her fluid writing style and command of prose made for compelling Features articles and powerful editorials. Kirby welcomed and guided new writers, showing them the crucial work student journalists engage in every day. Under Kirby’s leadership, stories about Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winners made the Features pages stand out. Her kind personality, coupled with her sense of authority, made Kirby an invaluable member of the Justice, and we know she will succeed in any avenue of life she pursues.

Since becoming Copy editor his during first year, Carmi Rothberg has brought to the Justice his impeccable understanding of grammar, exemplified by his “Big Fun Guide to Commas.” Carmi is starkly attentive to detail, with the ability to pick out fallacies in anything, from a controversial article to a University email to a silly debate. Throughout his tenure as editor in chief during the 2016-17 year, Carmi ran the Justice with a sense of humor, beautiful justShabbat meals and a real interest in attaining journalistic excellence. We will miss Carmi, but his parting gift of a potted plant ensures his presence will always be felt in the Justice office.

The Brandeis campus simply won’t be the same without Noah Hessdorf. Warm and inviting to all, and not afraid to break out an awesome jersey, Noah is the type of guy who will always have your back. Whether it was at the Justice, where he served as Sports editor from January 2015 to January 2016 or anywhere else on campus, Noah was as loyal as they come and was always available to lend a helping hand. He is a great editor, a great guy and someone who will most definitely go on to do amazing things.

Sabrina Sung initially brought her impressive attention to detail to the Justice when she became copy editor. In that position, she implemented new practices — including the introduction of a second copy editor — to streamline the Justice’s editing process. After completing her tenure, Sabrina continued to help the Justice by lending a rational, well-reasoned voice to editorial discussions as deputy editor. Her ability to articulate wide-ranging perspectives on complex issues made her an invaluable member of the editorial board and an incredible deputy editor, and her wit and knowledge of obscure facts made her a delight on late production nights.

Michelle Banayan served as the Justice’s photography editor from the fall of 2015 until March 2016 and brought much color to the section with her easy laughs and quick sense of humor. After leaving the photos section, Michelle continued to contribute to the Justice as an associate editor, spicing up general meetings with her hilarious B-Talks questions and shining poetry. Michelle was always easygoing and flexible, providing a hand to her former section and countless smiles to the rest of the office. We are all going to miss her dearly and hope she comes back to see us!

A talented reporter with an eye for a scoop, Abby Patkin lent her incredible drive and considerable writing abilites to the Justice, running the News section for two years before serving as editor in chief for the 2017-18 school year. Fueled by an unwavering commitment to covering and uncovering the most important stories on campus, Abby researched and wrote hundreds of articles in her time at the Justice. With her natural grasp of news style and journalistic ethics, she has been an invaluable source of guidance to staff and editors looking to improve at reporting. We will miss Abby’s strong leadership and are certain of her success in all she pursues, beginning with her new job at GateHouse Media. 

Who better to head the photography section than someone who’s been photographing since he was young? Mihir Khanna’s camera might as well have been a fifth limb; he brought exceptional talent to the paper, whether it was from behind the camera or through Photoshopping intricate arts covers. But his contributions to the Justice did not stop there; MK became managing editor at the end of his sophomore year and introduced color to all pages of the Justice, bringing additional vibrancy and life to the paper. Photographer and fixer by night, physicist by day, MK will no doubt continue to accomplish great things, starting with his new job at CERN.

Abby Grinberg was a staple of the Photography section before being chosen to be one of its editors. When she went abroad to Milan, Italy, for the year we missed her then, and we’ll miss her now! Her bubbly personality and upbeat attitude brightened up the office, especially on late production nights. Abby has been the Justice’s resident “aesthetic goddess,” after all. Have you seen her blog? And Instagram? And Facebook? This girl is not only gorgeous herself but helps put so much beauty into this world. We will all miss Abby and her optimism.

Lizzie Grossman first joined the Justice as a Features and Arts writer her sophomore year. Soon after, she was promoted to editor of the Arts section, a position she served in from spring 2016 until fall 2016. Returning from abroad for her senior year, Lizzie served as an associate editor. Throughout her time at the Justice, Lizzie was both a wonderful addition to office morale and a capable, excited writer. Never one to sit around, Lizzie wrote a number of articles for many different sections. Her excitement for the arts at Brandeis and her commitment to the Justice continually shone throughout her time as writer and editor, and we know she will continue to bring positivity to her work in Boston next year. We will miss her bright personality during late production nights next year and hope she visits often.

Change is a fact of life, especially at a campus newspaper, but the Justice would not have been the same without these talented individuals, who put in so much time and effort to make this paper the best it could be. They will, without a doubt, go on to be as successful in life as they have been during their years as undergraduates.