Senior Spotlight: Justine Walsh

Shannon Francolini
Editor-in-Chief
Sff1006@plymouth.edu

Justine Walsh has been setting the example for the students who help run The Clock as Editor in Chief for the last year. With her guidance for the organization, COVID-19 was not going to get in the way of The Clock’s production for the 2020-2021 school year. Justine embodies a strong sense of empathy for others, one of many qualities that further proves her strength in leadership. When sharing some of her favorite memories from PSU, Justine led with this piece of advice when she said “cherish every single moment. Think twice before you shut down an idea, that could end up being an amazing memory. It goes by faster than you think it will, these past four years have flown by; It literally flew. Take every chance you get to make a memory, and cherish every moment you do take, because it goes by quicker than you think.”

If there was one concept Justine implemented in the young writers of The Clock, it was to always take the initiative. She learned this best when she decided sophomore year that a social work major might not be the best fit for her. After taking a deeper look within herself, she found interest in English. “English fits in with a lot of different jobs, careers, and life experiences. Also with this degree, learning the ins & outs, there is always room to dive deeper and elaborate more, not just in writing, but in every part of life.” Justine has helped instill this concept within all of the students who join The Clock, by assuring them that  there is always more to a story then they could maybe ever understand, but it doesn’t mean to give up.

Justine joined The Clock only a few years ago but is the epitome of an example that you can do anything you set your mind to. She remarked how this might be one of her proudest accomplishments, becoming Editor in Chief for The Clock. Besides finalizing her decision to leave social work behind and pursue a major in English, she knew she had finally found her niche. Justine loves to work with people, there is great collaboration in her nature.  When asked what the one everlasting impact PSU had on her, she shared “that I formed friendships that will last a lifetime, made memories with these people that are so important to me, it doesn’t always work out for everybody but sometimes you just have to trust the process. That’s how you make friends through classes.” Justine knows this is not an easy concept to get behind, as it can be hard to grow out of your shell in just the blink of an eye, but getting out of your comfort zone is where the fun begins.

Justine’s one piece of advice to her freshman self was the most important to highlight. She says “don’t care what anybody else thinks about you. Stop caring about everybody else. It makes you so much happier when you just do what is best for yourself, that’s what’s most important. This is something that you should prioritize, I spent way too much time not doing that, and took me a while to realize how much more fun I had not caring what others thought about it.” As Justine wraps up the final weeks of her senior year, she wants to give a  “thank you to everybody I have worked with throughout the years on The Clock. I’ve made amazing memories with you all and I appreciate everything we’ve done together.” This time can be very sentimental for some seniors but it genuinely impacts the entire community. Plymouth State students not only know how to have fun, but they know how to create memories to last a lifetime. Although Justine enjoyed her time here to the fullest, the impact she left not only on The Clock but the entirety of her time here at PSU will forever be missed, cherished, and practiced for many years to come. The Clock wishes Justine the best of the best in her travels, she won’t need much luck for her future endeavors because she is just that remarkable.