Whenever I think of NBN, I think about how it inflicted the most painful rejections I have received in my young life.

I first joined when I was a wide-eyed freshman who just wanted the attention of someone special. That person was literally anyone at the Psychology Department that would offer a quote for a story I was writing on imposter syndrome. Alas, after several emails and an awkward attempt to ask a Psych professor during his Office Hours, I came up short. I remember another moment, now as a weary Junior trying to put together a podcast on RTVF. My new white whale was the head of the RTVF Department. When I reached out to him, he made me wish that he ghosted me. He didn't just refuse to comment, he didn't just say he wouldn't because the Daily already wrote a story. He sent back a list of RTVF events I should be covering instead.

I still don't know how I recovered from that passive aggression, but I like to think it gave me a thicker skin when dealing with sources.