Departing Editor-In-Chief prepares to take on life beyond college

By Craig Epstein | Published May 14, 2019

Set to graduate in the coming weeks, The Tower Editor-In-Chief Joshua Rosario looks to finish his time at college in much the same manner as it started: hungry and determined to succeed.

“Josh is the kind of student who makes teaching worthwhile,” said Professor Pat Winters Lauro, journalism program director and faculty adviser for the Tower. “He understands what it is to be a journalist and values its special place in our democracy.”

Lauro enjoyed the time that she got to spend with Rosario and will miss him both as an editor and a friend. One of the things that stood out to her over the course of his time at The Tower was the fact that he was able to orchestrate an award-winning newspaper while also maintaining a constant adoration from his peers.

“He was a great reporter, a wonderful editor and a lot of fun,” Lauro said. “The staff adores him yet he still was able to get them to do the work needed to create an award-winning newspaper.  I will miss him immensely.”

Rosario’s time as both a student and a reporter at Kean helped shape him into the type of person that he is today. Covering many different types of news events was not easy for the Somerset native, but he made sure to put everything he had into his work both in terms of time and thought.

“My time working at The Tower has been difficult in the best ways,” Rosario said. “Covering the stories I’ve covered haven’t been simple, but they were always an exciting process.”

It wasn’t until Rosario came to Kean that he realized what he wanted to do with his life. Now years later, with a blend of nerves and excitement he is ready to begin the next chapter of his life.

“I really didn’t know what I wanted out of life until coming to Kean,” Rosario said. “While graduating is exciting and scary at the same time, I finally do know.”

Looking to one day become a political reporter for The New York Times, Rosario hopes to work his way up in order to reach his goal and is considering going for his master’s degree along the way as well.

“I would love to become a political reporter for The New York Times some day,” Rosario said. “I don’t know how I will get there exactly but I can start my professional experience as a reporter and maybe in a few years get my masters.”

Professor Lois DeSocio, Tower co-adviser, has had firsthand experience in getting to see Rosario grow from reporter to Editor-In-Chief. She is amazed just by how much effort he puts into learning his craft and how he tries to improve with each story in which he takes on.

“I’ve had the privilege of watching Josh bloom, first as his professor for Introductory Journalism and presently as his co-advisor/professor for The Tower,” DeSocio said. “His budding interest in journalism, innate investigative instincts, and steadfast determination to understand the craft and the basic tenets of journalism has earned him the top post as Editor-In-Chief of The Tower.”

She feels that both his knowledge and leadership assisted in propelling The Tower to be awarded second place in General Excellence from the NJ Collegiate Press Association, the fourth consecutive year The Tower has ranked among the top three college newspapers in the state. DeSocio will cherish the time that the two got to spend together and looks forward to seeing what kind of challenges he focuses on next.

“Through his writing, reporting and leadership, Josh has helped take The Tower to its fourth year of NJCPA awards,” DeSocio said. “I will miss him as a student and as a colleague, but I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Approaching his work as a leader both in and out of the classroom, Rosario has earned the admiration and respect from many of his peers at The Tower as well.

“My time working with Josh at The Tower has been amazing to say the least,” Online Editor Rafaela Teixeira said. “He has made every hard moment easier just by being supportive and caring about his staff. He has helped me grow as a writer and continuously helps me grow as a leader.”

As a fellow 2019 graduate, Teixeira has grown over the course of her time at Kean right beside Rosario. She is inspired by the amount of hard work and dedication that he is willing to put into his craft.

“Josh has definitely grown as a leader and I’m glad I’ve witnessed it,” Teixeira said. “I’ve seen him take on the role of Editor-In-Chief with full force and the amount of sacrifice he put in is really inspiring.”

Rosario and Teixeira enjoy getting to spend time with one another and discussing a variety of topics. Whether they relate to school, work, or just life in general, the two can typically be found in The Tower’s newsroom speaking with one alongside other fellow reporters.

“Josh became a very close friend and confidante for me,” Teixeira said. “I trust him fully with my writing and any life issues which is probably why I’m always hanging out at the newsroom because I look forward to having long talks with him and our peers.”

When it comes to life beyond Kean, Teixeira feels confident that Rosario’s future will be bright and filled with success. She believes that due to the manner in which he earned his degree, there is nothing that can stand in his way from becoming the professional that he wishes to be.

“Josh’s future is extremely bright and I really hope he knows that in moments where he feels like it isn’t, it definitely is,” Teixeira said. “Josh shouldn’t worry about where he’ll end up because the way he came back to school and decided to change the course of his life and fell into journalism is amazing. I’m not worried for him, he will do great things.”

While there are many things that Rosario will remember fondly about his time with The Tower, the one that he claims he will miss the most is the people that he had the pleasure of getting to know both on a personal and professional level.

“The people I’ve met at The Tower have all been fantastic and unforgettable,” Rosario said. “The Tower newsroom has become a central hangout for reporters and any time a bunch of us are in there it’s a blast. I’ll never forget the laughs I will tell you that.”

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