Dear reader,

Well folks, happy last DOI day of 2022-2023! This magazine, just like every issue before it, is a product of a ton of hard work, tense discussion, and lots of love.
As a senior, I’ve had a lot of lasts recently. Every moment is melancholy but hopeful, and I gotta say, this goodbye is one of my sadder ones. And before I hang up my hat as the glorious co-editor-in-chief of DOI, I have some thanks I need to express.
I’m grateful for DOI and the platform it’s given me not only to exercise my voice, but also to highlight the stories and people at LHS. Hopefully every one of you has, at some point, picked up a doi, read a story, and learned something new, or saw yourself reflected in it.
I’m also grateful for LHS. A magazine can only be as amazing and powerful as the community it reports on. Every single person I’ve had the privilege to interview has been kind, open, and respectful. I’ve learned so much about myself, as well as the world, from the stories I’ve written and the people I’ve interviewed; students and adults alike.
Finally, some individual shoutouts: To Mr. Gluskin, who advised my first year on staff and inspires me with his kindness. To Dr. Reiff and his endless support. To Diane in the DIL, who always puts a smile on my face (and lets me display piles of DOIs in her room). To Dr. Koulentes and his infinite wisdom. And finally, to Jazzy Lafita, my fearless, ambitious counterpart on staff.
DOI was the avenue that gave me a path to learning my place here in Libertyville. If I told my freshman year self (fresh from New Jersey) that I would feel such a connection to the people here, I would’ve laughed. But it’s true; DOI played a momentous role in that.
Here are my parting words: Try to appreciate DOI, because a lot more goes behind the scenes than you may see. And appreciate each other in this great school.

I’m confident in the future of DOI, and the future of LHS.

Sarah Wuh
Outgoing Editor-in-chief

Dear reader,

Twenty-seven may not seem like a big number. $27 can barely get you a sweatshirt or a hardcover book. Twenty-seven hours is just a little more than a day.
But this is the twenty-seventh issue of Drops of Ink I’ve had the pleasure of working on. This very magazine holds the culmination of my four years on Drops of Ink. Every single day of my high school career, I’ve been working towards this. Each day I walked into my Drops of Ink class, I came slightly closer to this moment.
I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be writing this letter to you right now if it weren’t for the many people who were there for me through my years on DOI.
Sarah Wuh, my co editor-in-chief, my lock-screen background maker, my friend, you are my rock. I wouldn’t have been able to get through this year, to get to my twenty-seventh magazine without your patience and care. Thank you, Sarah.

And Mr. Gluskin and Dr. Reiff, I can’t thank you enough. I know each of you dealing with me for two years each was definitely more than enough for your liking, believe me. But both of you taught me valuable lessons about writing and life and mentored me through some of the most formative years of my life.
If I thanked everyone who has shaped me through my time on Drops of Ink, this letter would be as long as a dissertation, but every single staffer and editor from the last four years has my sincerest gratitude. You all are a part of me, and have built me up into the journalist, editor, and person I am now.
I never expected to make it here, as co editor-in-chief, news editor and four year staff member of Drops of Ink.
But, in all honesty, once I got here, I never expected I’d be leaving.
Drops of Ink has been a constant for the last four years, and I’m unsure of the future. It will be strange, not having the comforting chaos of the DOI room in my life, but it’s a chapter I’m wholly excited for.
But, looking to the future of DOI, I feel nothing but enthusiasm. Alex Clark and Eva Fahrenkrog, no one could run this magazine better than you two. I believe in both of you, in your vision and drive, and I cannot wait to see how you will help Drops of Ink grow as co-editors in chief.
Without further ado, enjoy this magazine, dear reader, and thank you for making the last four years and twenty-seven magazines possible.

With lots of love,

Jasmine Lafita