Emily Carbone ’28
Features Editor
I first joined The Spire as a second semester freshman. I still remember the first meeting that I went to–I was asked which section I wanted to join and glanced around the room nervously. As I glanced from section to section, each one seemed to already be full of people who did not want or need my writing expertise. That is, until I looked over at the Features corner, where two girls sat, both waving me over. It was the smallest section by far, consisting of only Amelia Ciarleglio (who is going to be The Spire’s co-editor in chief next semester), and the head of the Features section: Viveca Stucke. The first impression I got of Viveca was that she was not only very funny, but also the first reason that I stuck with Features. “Yeah, you can write for us,” she’d said with a warm smile, “Features would love to have you.”
Viveca began her career at the Spire in freshman year, writing for–you guessed it–Features. During her time both writing and editing for the Features section, she was a true pioneer, creating beloved columns such as Professor Playlists and Peep my Pups. Co-editor in Chief Ashwin Prabaharan looks upon their first days on the Spire fondly: “I’ve served with her since freshman year, and I really think Features is where it’s at now because of her…She’s probably been one of the most supportive members of the Spire since arriving here at Holy Cross.” Opinions editor and Breaking News aficionado Tucker Scott agreed: “She did a great job heading her section,” he commented, before reminiscing on some of his other favorite memories of Viveca. “I think the best memories I’ve had are of Hanselman Hall Council Freshman year…it was me, her, Ashwin, Caroline…it always tended to devolve into random chaos,” he smiled. “I’m going to miss her once we graduate.”
As a dedicated member of the Spire, Viveca attended just about every meeting, which is where I got the pleasure to get to know her. Some of my favorite memories of Spire meetings are of her absolutely hilarious jokes. I’ll never forget the recent meeting when she demanded that everyone take out their phones and open Instagram to follow a close friend of hers, or the time when there had been some kind of meeting beforehand and a few editors had walked in with full suits. Viveca was wearing a colorful shirt of insanely edited raccoons, and she made sure this juxtaposition wasn’t lost on anyone. “I remember when I first met Viveca at the Spire meeting in my sophomore year, she was so excited and eager to get ideas written down,” Amelia Ciarleglio recalled. “She always motivated me to continue writing, always motivated me to do my best, and she’s like the funniest person ever. I’m going to miss her a lot,” she then shook her head at me. “It won’t be the same without her.”
Aside from the fact that she is one of the funniest people I have ever met and a pillar of The Spire, Viveca is also one of the most kind and welcoming forces at Holy Cross. “One of my favorite things about Viveca is that she is relentlessly devoted to the people in her life,” said Caroline Kramer. This is apparent to anyone who comes into contact with her, whether you know her from Spire, as an RA, or in any other context. Walking into my first Spire meeting as well as every meeting that followed, I knew I would count on Viveca to not only make sure my ideas were heard, but also make me feel better about whatever else was going on in my life. Caroline put it very nicely when she said “She really chases after what she wants, but she prioritizes other people in the process of doing so. She’s one of the most selfless and generous people of all time. And also, the funniest. And that’s coming from her freshman year roommate.”
To conclude my feature on the Queen of Features, I want to write that I look up to Viveca a lot–as a writer, a leader, and a friend. I am going to be taking over her position as the Chief Features editor next semester, and I cannot think of someone who I’d rather be doing it for. The Spire will miss Viveca, and Amelia was right when she said that it won’t be the same without her. I hope I can do half as good a job as Viveca did, but I will have to do it without her guidance and wit, which will be hard. However, we touched base, and she assured me that she’d most definitely be back for the fall tailgates.
Featured image courtesy of The Spire
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