Welcome to the circus that is collegiate life, ladies and gentlemen! It’s hectic, it’s colorful and it can be a little overwhelming at times.

Don’t let yourself get lost in the shuffle.

You’re far from the comforts of television, family and friends. You’re far from the annoying but predictable and understandable problems of work.

There’s so much going on when you come to college for the first time, whether you’re coming straight out of high school, straight out of the domesticity of marriage and children, or straight out of another country, that it may be hard to find your voice.

But find it you must.

To make the most of this you’ll have to be a participant in your own education. Speak up in class if you don’t understand. Know that teachers don’t grade you. You grade yourself. Know that doing things at the last minute is a crutch. You don’t do your best work at the last minute, trust me.

Be a participant in your community, too.

Join a club and speak up at meetings when you don’t agree. Or when you do agree. Others will know you through your words and through your deeds. If you find that one avenue of expression is too difficult, employ the other.

And with this, of course, the student newspaper can help. La Voz is here to give the student’s a voice. We have a great section in our humble paper protected by the Bill of Rights called the Opinion or Forum Section.

Here you can find letters to the editor, short pieces on a student’s experience on campus or essays on current events. All written by students like you. Whether popular, unpopular or simply contemplative, we reserve the right to publish what you say.

We are you.

It’s my job to serve as ringleader of this little circus within a circus and I’m always looking for more performers. I ostensibly steer La Voz in some grand direction, but shhh … don’t tell anyone, it’s your interaction with us and through the paper, with your fellow students, that really sets the stage.

Oh yeah, I should mention that finding your voice isn’t easy.

It doesn’t happen after one letter to the editor, or after one question asked in class, or even after volunteering to make flyers for your club du jour. It, like so many other things in life, is a process.

So, maybe this circus is loud, but it’s exciting, too. For some it’s a new world, for others this college is almost like a second home.

Either way, welcome.