POV Winter 2025 Editor’s Note:
Before heading into this issue, we would like to thank everyone on the editorial board, production staff, web design, writing, and faculty for helping us through an amazing 2024-2025 season for the POV. From handling one of the most divisive elections in recent memory to introducing multiple new initiatives, we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has made the POV what it is right now.
As we hand off the magazine to the next editorial board, we would like to give a special shout-out to the seniors and their contributions to the POV over the past four years. We are incredibly grateful you chose the POV community and are excited to see your continued success throughout college.
In January, we welcomed Luke Vargas 08’ back to BB&N where he shared “Lessons from 17 Years Covering Presidential Politics.” At BB&N, Mr. Vargas founded the POV magazine as a forum for students to share their unique political opinions. Since graduating, Mr. Vargas has become a successful political journalist for the Wall Street Journal, reporting from over 35 countries and recently becoming the host of the magazine’s morning podcast. Inspired by his presentation, we introduced a school-wide survey on the political landscape of BB&N following the presidential election. We hope to use this information to create a more informed student body that encourages respectful political discourse. You can find our insights in the “Knight’s Roundtable” section led by David Xiong ‘26. We are excited about this new initiative and look forward to seeing it thrive in future issues.
Following the recent presidential election, we expected a variety of reactions within the BB&N community. We knew it would be difficult to foster political discussions that would both engage and fairly represent the diverse political views in our community. When working with writers, we ensure they utilize reputable sources from across the political spectrum that consider multiple viewpoints in their articles. We hope this translates beyond the POV to the broader BB&N community, encouraging students to actively seek multiple perspectives as they create their own opinions. Next year, we hope the POV can take a more active role in BB&N beyond our issues to teach students how to learn, create, and articulate their own political ideas.
As we enter the first stages of a new Presidential era, we believe creating informed opinions and encouraging students to stay in touch with current affairs are essential to navigating this eventful political environment. At some moments, we understand it can be difficult for BB&N students to distinguish between the truth and unsubstantiated arguments. However, we believe that with the right guidance, BB&N can become a place where students feel comfortable sharing their political opinions in the face of division, fostering constructive discussions that inform the broader BB&N community. As a community, it is our responsibility to seek the truth, and we hope that BB&N can continue on the grounds that the POV was founded: a forum for students to freely voice their distinct political opinions.