The only way to begin this properly is by thanking the three women who gave me the outlet to write about music here for the past year. 

First, I have to thank Sarah-Grace Sweeney, who hired me and provided me with the opportunity in the first place. She took a chance on me and introduced me to this world of wonderful people, and then she took the time to edit my, at times, illegible writing and make it coherent. 

Secondly, I need to thank Hannah Smothers, who pushed me outside of my comfort zone by encouraging me to write reported stories instead of just reviews and interviews. I was able to learn so much about Austin by seeking out and talking to people, and I also was able to get real experience being a journalist. She helped me through my edits and taught me so much that, I would like to think, my writing became stronger from when I started.

Lastly, I would like to thank Lauren L’aime, who helped edit my pieces and assisted me with questions over the past semester. She, along with the others, is one of the nicest and most helpful individuals I’ve ever met, and she is going to do an incredible job editing the section in the fall. 

If I have any good advice worth listening to, it’s to find a way to do what you love. I made the mistake of waiting until my last year in school to start writing for the paper. In the past year alone, I’ve met so many people at The Daily Texan and KVRX, and I wish I had been able to start that earlier. I hope you enjoyed the pieces I wrote over the year and, hopefully, discovered some new music you liked. I know the person who will be covering music for The Daily Texan next year, and I can guarantee he will do a much better job at this than I ever did. 

If writing is something you enjoy, I highly encourage you to try out for The Daily Texan. In the past year, I got to have so many amazing experiences meet many of my musical heroes through this. 

I got to talk to members of Phoenix, Savages, Superchunk, Bikini Kill, Future Islands, Fucked Up, Perfect Pussy, The Range, Sleigh Bells, Parquet Courts, Loop, Angel Olsen, Mutual Benefit, Mikal Cronin, Potty Mouth, White Lung, Bleached and many more. I even had an email conversation with Lil B in which he gave me his number. 

It’s been a dream come true, and I’m really grateful for everyone that gave me the chance to do this job.

-30-