Over the years a tradition has been established within the Houstonian staff where graduating seniors write columns giving their ‘words of wisdom’, telling how much they have learned and thanking those who have helped them along the way for their last issue.

Though I’m not ordinarily a very nostalgic person, as the graduation date grows closer the more I have begun feeling what my predecessors have expressed in their goodbye editorials.

The simple truth is that I have learned a lot while being here, and it goes way beyond academics. When I moved into Belvin Buchanan as a freshman, I was very much a different person then than the one I am today. I was a quiet, small-town girl who had spent the first 18 years of my life living up to the expectations of others.

Looking back, the most valuable things I have learned at SHSU are who I really am and how to be myself.

I owe a lot of that to the friends I have made and the organizations I chose to get involved in, which really go hand-in-hand.

The Houstonian has opened up a whole world of opportunities for me in my two years on staff. It has reaffirmed my love for journalism while providing a creative outlet apart from the drudgery of the classroom. We are one big, happy, dysfunctional family-not unlike my family at home. We laugh together, tease each other mercilessly, and play like children. And despite our arguments and different viewpoints, we always pull together during the hard times and leave what happens in the office at the office.

I have gone through a lot this semester, for various reasons, and I never would have made it without the support of the people in our office.

SGA has also given me a home for the past two years. My SGA family has taught me all the “dirt” behind college life and not to be afraid of confrontation, which for those of you who didn’t know me in high school, is truly an accomplishment. Like in The Houstonian, we tease each other, cry and gripe together and disagree more often than many students go to class, but I know many of my SGA friends will be friends for life.

I also owe a lot of Dr. Fullerton, my advisor for four years and a mentor to many, including myself. Thank you for being a great teacher, for always leaving your door open, for listening to my “ranting and raving” throughout the years (as much as that may have been) and most importantly, thank you for standing up for your students, even at your own detriment. You are truly an inspiration.

Finally, thank you to Daph, one of my closest friends. You have some big shoes to fill as you become editor; not because you are taking the place of two, but because I know how difficult it really is to take responsibility for something that, like life, isn’t perfect. Try to be patient (because we all know that has been Drew’s role) and take criticism with ease. Remember that those who “talk trash” do not know how hard we work and the hours we put in to produce this paper and that there are many people with small, inflexible minds. I wish you and the new staff the best of luck.

So, as I say goodbye to all those I love, I also want to let you know your roles in my life have not gone unnoticed. I appreciate and care about you all. Thank you for being great people and for helping me find myself.