Viveca Stucke ‘26
Chief Features Editor
During my time at Holy Cross, I’ve written 85 pieces for The Spire (including this one!). I began by moving between the Features and Opinions sections, eventually finding my home in Features permanently during my junior year when I stepped into the role of Chief Features Editor. One of my favorite running jokes within The Spire is that the Features section loosely aims to simply “feature” campus. At first glance, this seems less trivial than the thorough political ideas in Opinions, the remarkable journalism in News, the wit and humor of Eggplant, or the commitment of Sports. But I have found that Features is naturally my favorite, because it encompasses the heart of Holy Cross: the students, their stories, and the passions that bring this campus to life.
As graduation quickly approaches, I find myself not just closing a chapter, but an entire book of my life, so I have naturally been pondering about the past four years. I chose Holy Cross for its sense of community. In high school, I was enrolled in an early college program that allowed me to earn my associate’s degree, leaving me with just three semesters left before I could complete a bachelors. I could have taken the more expedited route at a state school, but instead I chose a place where I believed I could grow more fully academically, personally, and socially. I chose Holy Cross because I trusted in its ability to foster that kind of holistic development. Community is one of the defining pillars of this campus, a narrative which we hear often, perhaps even to the point of overuse. Yet, in hearing it so frequently, I think we sometimes lose sight of what truly makes this community function so meaningfully and with such depth.
The community at Holy Cross is sustained by faculty, staff, neighbors, alumni, and most importantly, the students themselves. It comes to life in the ways that people consistently show up for one another. Their commitment extends beyond academics and the social highlights of college, and instead is rooted in a genuine desire to improve the world around them. Even with personal challenges, the exhaustion of demanding coursework, and the constant pull of college life, students continuously prioritize being present for their friends and peers. You see it in club meetings, in hours spent volunteering, and in countless small choices to contribute to something larger than themselves. This kind of engagement is not easy; it requires effort, intention, and a real sense of care. But it is precisely this willingness to show up, simply for the sake of one another, that forms the foundation of what makes Holy Cross unique.
So, this is why I believe Features is so special. Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to highlight students through Crusader of the Week, featuring people who pour themselves into this campus in ways that often go unnoticed. I’ve gotten to “peep” some “cribs” that serve as spaces of comfort amid stress, and to spotlight the countless activities, clubs, and faculty initiatives that foster growth within our community. In doing so, I’ve come to see the intricacies of this institution, the small and honestly invisible moving parts that sustain it. Features has allowed me to capture the everyday moments and quiet dedication that keeps Holy Cross running, revealing just how much care and effort it takes to cultivate a community that is as strong as this one. And that is something that we truly cannot afford to lose. We need to prioritize the art of noticing, of truly seeing one another and recognizing the work, both big and small, that people put into this place. Making others feel seen is what matters. Not just at Holy Cross, but in the world beyond it. So, we have to keep featuring each other, everyday, without fail. Not just in the pages of The Spire, but in the way we move through our lives.
My goodbye to this campus, and to The Spire, is incredibly bittersweet. Looking back on who I was four years ago and who I’ve become, I am reminded of what lesson I want to carry on to the next “books” of my life. I want to actively seek out and feature the beauty in everyday life, and to make people feel seen and valued by spreading a little extra sunshine wherever I go. With that in mind, I can’t help but feature what has mattered most to me over the years: my friends, who fill my life with laughter and make the hard times more bearable; my professors who continuously pushed me to be the best version of myself; my roommates who have seen me at my most vulnerable moments; and my best friend/freshman year roommate Caroline, who will forever be my partner in crime. And of course, my family: my stepdad, who reminds me to find gratitude in every moment; my sister, who embodies kindness; and my grandparents, who have always been a steady source of love and support. Most importantly, my parents: my dad, who serves as a constant reminder for the need to find the fun in life through maximizing your life experiences; and my mom, who has given so much of herself to ensure I feel deeply loved and supported, always encouraging me to be not just the best version of myself, but the most authentic one. Through The Spire, I’ve had the privilege of featuring so many incredible people and moments on this campus, and what that can mean to people. So, if I could leave one final piece of advice, it would be to feature what matters most to you, everyday, and in every moment because that is where you will find the joy in the journey.
Copy edited by Caroline Kramer ’26
Featured image courtesy of Vecteezy
Leave a Reply