Readers,
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs. That’s right: we’re getting Biblical. We’ll explain it in the bridge.
This issue concludes our first semester as Editors-in-Chief of The Herald. It’s been a journey, and we’re filled with gratitude—for the guidance from former staffers, for the time you’ve spared to read our publication, and most of all, for the work of dozens of section editors, copy editors, managing editors, designers, and our beautiful writers.
We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again. Running a student publication is extremely difficult. And without 40 years of previous issues behind us, it would be so much harder. Our Herald, really, is the collective work of hundreds of writers and thinkers who gave their energy to the publication over these last decades. We’ve still made it ours, but only insofar as it was theirs (and yours). There wouldn’t be a magazine to edit without our predecessors and your continued readership. The Herald belongs to no one because it belongs to everyone.
And we’re stoked about the work we’ve all done. In the past semester, we’ve published 107 pieces over 12 issues, a testament to The Herald’s unique ability to offer a safe haven for creative expression amidst the pressures of Yale student life. Somehow, every week there’s a dozen people passionate enough to entrust us with their precious thoughts so we can share them with you. This week, those cool people include Ethan Kan ’28, deep-diving on New Haven’s gem of a restaurant Strega, and Jaxon Haven ’26, considering Sean Duffy’s anti-casual airports, and Allie Gruber ’26, taking on food-based insults. Robert Gao ’27 recounts an interview with director Joachin Trier. Islay Ross ’28 details Christmas on an island in the Puget Sound. Zoe Kanter ’27 and Tessa Stewart ’27 take on the Slifka Center’s flippancy around Palestinian lives. And that’s hardly the half of it. We love these writers, and for all of those who have contributed to the publication so far.
So far—we’re only halfway through. We plow forward into 2026 under a single motto: “iron sharpens iron.” Mike Tomlin’s been saying this since he was first hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach in 2007. For the most part, the Steelers have been extraordinarily average from then till now, with Tomlin usually squeaking out 9-8 seasons only to get clobbered in the first round of the playoffs. This is why we’re not so much inspired by the team as we are by the fans. I mean, there is just no other fanbase in the world that could be as loyal as those in Pittsburgh after 18 seasons of by-definition average football, made even worse by the fact that Tomlin’s been heralded as a legend for never having a losing season. Being a Steelers fan is psychologically trapping. But hey, if it wasn’t, we’d have no way of knowing what real loyalty looks like.
We hope to channel the fans’ commitment to the team, and never forget that we write, design, create, think—all for you. Iron. Sharpens. Iron.
Most Daringly,
Will & Oscar
