Letter: Editor helped students, gave the voiceless a voice

To the Editor:

I had first gotten into contact with Ms. Shultz back in 2018 when I was still the editor of Darien High School’s newspaper NEIRAD. Back then, I was unsure as a writer, and felt that I was unable to voice and raise awareness about many topics to a community-wide level beyond Darien High School. I did not have the means of doing so, and it was Ms. Shultz who gave me the opportunity which led to my first article “The Invisible People: Helping the homeless and overcoming stigma” being published. Even though Darien does not have a homeless population, we felt that it was still important to cover the topic, which I am glad that we were able to raise awareness for. I became a voice for the voiceless, and Ms. Shultz was the one to uplift my voice so that I could uplift others’ voices.

When the pandemic first hit, Ms. Shultz was critical in raising awareness, whether that be for frontline nurses giving out tests, grocery store workers on the front lines like myself, and for raising awareness about the impact our masks were having on Darien’s environment.

Subsequently, so many events in Darien for the Black Lives Matter movement that I co-led would not have been made known were it not for Ms. Shultz, namely the protests, vigil, and subsequent art show that the organization I co-lead R.A.G.E.T.I.M.E. CT held.

As any journalist knows, working in the media requires engaging with community members, a passion for finding the truth, and fairness in reporting events.

Ms. Shultz has kept The Darien Times fair in reporting politically, a hard thing to do in today’s climate. Through her writing, aside from covering events, she has fostered compassion and kindness in our community, and has made a welcoming and lasting impact on the town.

I wish her all the best in the coming years, and I’m forever grateful for the work she has done with the Darien Times, and for uplifting so many voices in our community.

Kate Dempsey

Darien