Steadfast. Reliable. Honest. Trustworthy. Caring. Hardworking.

Those who know recent Linfield graduate Ethan Myers know all of these adjectives perfectly describe who he is. The Linfield Review’s 2020-2021’s managing editor and news editor has recently graduated, but his journey on campus was one to remember. 

Originally from Spokane, Wash., Myers transferred to Linfield in the fall of 2019. Not knowing what he wanted to pursue in higher education after high school, he attended Spokane Falls Community College for two years prior to transferring to Linfield. 

“I heard good things about [Linfield],” Myers said. “It was close to the coast, close to Portland and where my family is. When I came and visited the campus, I thought it was beautiful. You know- the cliché thing,” he said with a laugh and a shrug. 

When Linfield changed the mass communications major to journalism and media studies in 2019, Myers was immediately interested. He already knew he wanted to study journalism and he saw an opportunity. “I heard a little bit about the JAMS program and yeah, I just thought it was what I was looking for,” Myers said. 

Growing up, Myers was always involved in sports. The athlete dreamed of following this passion to pursue a career as a sports journalist. However, once he arrived at Linfield, he found this dream had changed. 

“The reporting class I took with Steve Bagwell and feature writing with Emily Grosvenor, I just realized that there’s a lot more interesting stuff to do in journalism,” Myers said. “I wanted to broaden my horizons in that way.” 

His journey at Linfield has been remarkable, like many of TLR’s recent graduates. “When I first got on campus, I didn’t know anybody at all. I was pretty introverted and kind of a hermit my first year,” he said, shaking his head. 

Unfortunately, Myers arrived at Linfield still healing from an injury from a past season, which held him back from immediately joining the men’s tennis team. He finally joined in the fall term of 2020. 

His senior year was filled to the brim with new opportunities and chances, all of which he took. After enrolling in the journalism practices course in which students write articles for The Linfield Review, Myers joined the Review as the opinions editor in spring of 2020. 

Myers was also the tennis representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, held a work study job for professor Lisa Weidman and was the scorebook keeper for basketball games. “I’ve definitely become more involved every semester as I meet new people and as I’ve kinda tried to develop a decent resume,” Myers joked.

His involvement and dedication to the university newspaper has not gone unnoticed. Along with publishing dozens of articles, Myers took on a much larger role in the fall of 2020 when he became the managing editor. 

“The only reason I was able to run TLR was because of my incredibly supportive staff,” Alexandra Feller, TLR’s 2020-2021 editor-in-chief said. “Ethan was a big part of this. His genuine attitude about reporting and listening was inspiring, and something I will take with me into the world.”

“We really worked as a team this year, helping each other manage workload and deadlines,” Feller said. “It has been beyond exciting to grow as a journalist with Ethan, and I can’t wait to read all the incredible stories he writes next.”

Fellow editor Maddie Loverich, and now TLR’s 2021-2022 editor-in-chief, was also quick to comment. “Ethan is just a really genuine guy and a talented journalist. The Review has been lucky to have his skills and humor around and he’ll definitely be missed on campus.” 

When asked who has helped inspire his love for journalism, Myers credited several well known and beloved professors within the JAMS major. “Definitely Lisa Weidman, she’s just been a good mentor for me the whole time I’ve been here and she’s always super open to helping anybody within the major.”

“And Professor Bagwell,” Myers continued, “That was the first time at Linfield that I got a taste of real journalism, that reporting class was super valuable and helped me develop my writing voice and just understanding basic journalistic skills.”

As a seasoned journalism student and editor at The Review, Myers had a few words of advice for returning staff. “Just go out and get it,” he said. “It took me a while to realize how unique of an opportunity The Review is, to gain valuable experience before you actually go out into the world field. I think if you have the time and opportunity to take on a bigger role you should, for me, it’s been a great way to develop leadership qualities.”

“Be involved as much as you can and don’t be afraid,” Myers said. “Just take it by the reins.” 

Anna Frazier, TLR’s new 2021-2022 managing editor had only kind words to say about her predecessor. “Ethan is a great writer and one of the friendliest people I know! I admire his dedication to creating pieces that aren’t just well-written, but also very well-thought out. He’s an awesome team member and I know he’ll bring joy and happiness anywhere he goes,” Frazier said. 

With the possibility of having a more normal summer due to the COVID vaccine being readily available to the public, Myers plans on being outdoors and involved as much as possible. “I’ll be playing tennis a lot, hurting myself,” he joked. “Biking, backpacking, bikepacking, hiking, camping, kayaking.” 

Planning to stay in the Pacific Northwest if possible, Myers has been applying for jobs in the area. His post-graduation plans to explore Sweden and Norway solo are on hold due to the pandemic. “It’s still booked, but we’ll see” he said, laughing. 

Graduation and the accompanying expectations in the real world outside school are often a source of anxiety for many seniors, and Myers was no different. “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom,” Myers said, quoting Soren Kierkegaard.“ I think that’s just kinda a good sign that I have a good opportunity to join the journalism industry.” 

“I want to go out into the journalism world and just see where it takes me,” Myers said with a smile. The Linfield Review staff know that both as a journalist and as an individual, Ethan will succeed beyond expectations as he consistently did at Linfield.

We can’t wait to see what comes next for you Ethan, congratulations. You’ve got this.