It has truly been a roundabout path
By Noah Lopez
Knightly News Reporter
What? Three years have passed?
Wow. If you had told me in 2023 that I would be graduating as salutatorian of my class, I definitely would have, well, first said, “Thanks for having such confidence in me,” and second, probably laughed!
Photo courtesy Central Penn College
To put into words the impact not only The Knightly News has had on me, but also the impact my time in college as a whole had, is a task close to impossible. I have gone through a lot during my time as a student and as a reporter for The Knightly News.
My time with the Knightly News took me everywhere, from writing stories and appearing on podcasts to livestreaming sports, doing photography and creating video, and helping with many events.
I have gone from a kid fresh out of high school trying to find his way in college to someone who has a strong grip on what he wants to do with his life.
To say my time with The Knightly News was good is an understatement. It was more than that. It was fantastic, extravagant, excellent, extraordinary, mind-blowing, eye-opening, life-changing and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Focusing in several ways
When I started typing this story, I had a general idea of what I wanted readers to take away from it, and that was simply to get to know me. Maybe, after reading this story, a fragment of me may rub off on you.
Something I try to accomplish is leaving an impact. That was my goal with The Knightly News: to leave an impact not only on the club but on the students, the faculty, the school and, I hoped, the surrounding community.
One thing The Knightly News helped me understand was my place in the world. What exactly was I meant to do?
I learned that I was meant not only to tell stories accurately and effectively but also to inspire and to be inspired. Most important was that I learned to rely more on other people.
You can never succeed in life without the help of others, whether it be your family, your friends, your colleagues or even your pets – because at the end of the day, we need one another. When I got to Central Penn, I tried to do it all on my own. This club served as the catalyst that helped me understand just how wrong I was.
My time with The Knightly News not only opened my eyes to new horizons, but it opened many opportunities for me while giving me the space to create opportunities of my own.
Some notable ones our frequent readers may know are things like Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania, where I used my voice-acting experience to read material that people who are blind or visually impaired. This was my first real step into the professional world. While I originally needed volunteer hours for a class, my involvement with The Knightly News indirectly motivated me to stay long after my required time there was complete.
Another notable opportunity was my recently completed internship with LeadingAge PA, an aging-services organization. Thanks to my time with The Knightly News, I had a plethora of work to show during the interview process, and it impressed them enough to bring me onto their team. Combine that with my work at Vision Resources, my work with local organizations like the Historical Society of East Pennsboro and the confidence in my skills that was strengthened by my involvement with The Knightly News, and I truly do not believe I would have found myself in any of those positions.
Even our Gift Card Bingo Fundraiser with The Happe Lifestyle opened another professional opportunity for me, something I never expected when we started planning the event.
Another big event
Another opportunity was the Fall 2025 CPC Film Series.
On the surface, this film series was already unlike any other. It featured a haunted tour beforehand because the event landed within a week of Halloween, and the featured film was “Scream.”
Anyway, the haunted tour, while a huge group effort, was something I was adamant about, to the point that I bought an entire costume and had my makeup done for full immersion.
Why would I do this, you ask?
Well, before my time at Central Penn College, I was involved in theater and musicals. One of my biggest gripes was that the school had no drama club or theater club. The Knightly News gave me the opportunity to rekindle that love while combining it with my current passion.
Being president of The Knightly News Club @ Central Penn College, the organization that publishes The Knightly News, also gave me the ability to help push that idea forward.
Not only did it become one of my favorite memories from college, but it also ended up being a huge success.
All in all, The Knightly News has given me much, and I hope I have been able to give just as much back. Whether it was helping launch the video newscast or serving as organization president, I hope the things I started continue long after I am gone.
And that’s a wrap
I could go on and on about what this club has meant to me, but that would be a very, very long story. So, I’ll leave you with this.
Thank you to everyone who was part of The Knightly News from 2023 through July 2026, and thank you to everyone carrying the club forward today. You are now part of its story, just as I was.
I also want to thank our club advisers, Dr. Paul Miller and Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi, for always pushing me to strive for more instead of settling for the minimum. The Knightly News gave me more than journalism experience. It gave me lifelong friendships, professional connections, unforgettable memories and the confidence to become the person I am today.
Now, that’s all we have for today’s story. This is Noah Lopez, signing off.
Lopez is the outgoing president of The Knightly News Media Club @ Central Penn College, which produces The Knightly News and its services.
Editor’s note: Noah was a hands-on leader and a can-do source of service to our club, the student body, the campus and local community and our readership during his time as a reporter for and as president for The Knightly News. He played an integral role in writing extended stories, and most recently some shared with our partner, The Burg, of Harrisburg, and was active on The Knightly News Podcast, a broadcaster and interviewer for our livestreamed sports coverage, an energetic and successful fundraiser, and a beacon example of leadership and service for our club members and the student body. Noah, the club is better and our club members, along with your advisers, are richer in many ways than it would be without having had you work with us. All of us at The Knightly News wish the best of success as you step off campus and fully into the world beyond.
Comments? Story idea? Contact [email protected].
Edited by media-club co-adviser Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
