Editorial
Editorial Assistant Exit Letter
Liam Lobl
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Lobl, Liam. 2024. “Editorial Assistant Exit Letter.”
Journal of Philosophy of Emotion 6, no. 1: i-ii. https://doi.org/10.33497/2024.summer.0i.
Keywords: editorial assistant, exit letter, philosophy of emotion, Liam Lobl
Dear JPE Scholars and Readers,
My time at JPE will be coming to an end this summer after over a year and a half of working as an editorial assistant. As an editorial assistant, I made and distributed numerous CFPs for upcoming JPE book symposia, vetted article submissions, and internally reviewed and even led numerous book symposia. Through this work, I was able to not only progress my journey as an independent thinker and scholar, but also as an academic, as I got a glimpse into the world of academic publication and developed the skills necessary to properly communicate with various professionals and organize large-scale projects such as book symposia. By vetting journal submissions I learned what makes a paper exceptional through both a content and stylistic lens and what it takes to have one’s paper be considered for peer review.
Beyond being introduced to a new, fascinating field, I also had the privilege of interacting with and working alongside an extremely talented and insightful network of scholars which most other high schoolers would simply not be able to access. From Dr. Mun’s own publications to the books chosen for a symposium to the symposia commentaries and responses themselves, I was introduced to such a wide range of brilliant literature which further inspired my interest in the philosophy of emotion. I want to thank all of the scholars I worked with not only for their willingness to share their publications and thoughts with me, but for their willingness to take my ideas into consideration despite my lack of experience in comparison. When internally reviewing various book symposia, I often provided commentators with feedback on both the style and content of their commentaries, and was often surprised with how receptive and willing the commentators were to reconsider their own ideas and edit their commentary based on the remarks of a high schooler. I believe this speaks to not
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only how inclusive of a community the JPE has fostered, but also how every professional in the field of philosophy is incredibly open to dialogue and reevaluating their own thoughts, which has proven to be incredibly conducive to creating an environment with successful peer reviews and the generation of new ideas. By engaging in these dialogues myself, I was able to gain an incredible amount of knowledge from some of the most dedicated professionals in the field of philosophy of emotion. I can only hope that my ideas were able to impact those I worked with to the same extent that their thoughts made an impression on me.
Lastly, I want to give the largest thank you to Dr. Mun, who took a chance on me as a high schooler and gave me extensive individualized attention through her unique style of mentorship. I was given the freedom to complete my own tasks, received constant constructive feedback, and frequently saw how Dr. Mun was extremely passionate in helping me grow as a person and professional. Being held to the quality and standards to be expected from the JPE, I have gained a vast skill set that will accompany me and enable me to thrive and stand out in my future as a student and professional.
Speaking of my future, I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania as a freshman in the class of 2028 this fall. Though I do not yet know exactly what I will be majoring in, much less what career I will pursue, I hope to continue my education in philosophy by taking classes in both ancient and modern philosophy, and writing publications for undergraduate journals. I am also considering potentially continuing to intern at various philosophy-related journals and organizations.
Thanks once again,
Liam Lobl
Editorial Assistant, JPE
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Liam Lobl © 2024
Author email: liamlobl.jpe[at]gmail[dot]com