In all honesty, I have not been at the Texan a very long time. I stayed away for almost two years before I finally made my way into the basement. But now, I’ve made it to the end of the line, and I have no regrets about working here. 

The Texan allowed me to grow in so many ways. Reporting made me more aware of the world we live in and sharpened my thinking and writing. Editing — and working as news editor, especially — taught me so much about being a leader and working well with others.

The Texan is a special place where students — a good number of them studying subjects other than journalism — give up their free time every week and work together to run a media organization. And that’s just it: The Texan works because it is by students and for students.

My time here has not always been an easy one; there was a point when I never wanted to come back. But the best part of all of it will always be the people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with. When I started, there was Bobby, who first hired me and later became a close friend. Next, I met Christine, whom I quickly developed a crush on. We’ve been together for more than a year, and she still makes me smile.

There are so many people I can’t help but mention. Thank you, Amanda, for always having my back and doing the podcast. Jordan, thank you for bringing me back to the Texan, and good luck being the boss. Sam, thank you for always having a good attitude, even in bad situations. Pu, you were the world’s coolest boss. Elisabeth, thank you for running the show, even when you didn’t want to. Brett and Omar, it has been a blast. I will miss putting the paper together with you guys.

Andy and Toni, thank you for all the fun nights. Julia, Madlin and Nicole, never stop learning and growing. Alex, Elly, Jackie and Natalie, you are all incredibly talented reporters. It was truly a privilege to work with you all this semester. You guys have set the bar high for the department going forward. Keep it up in whatever you do next.

Finally, thank you, R.G., for sharing your wisdom with us this semester.

The Texan’s future is full of uncertainties. College newspapers across the country have had to make some difficult choices. What I have come to realize is that the Texan isn’t really a college newspaper or even a media organization. Rather, the Texan is a place for students to grow, whether that be as reporter, writer, editor, designer, artist, photographer, videographer, leader or just as a person in general. 

That doesn’t mean the Texan can’t produce high quality journalism — because it can and does. But here, students get to learn from their own mistakes and take responsibility for their own actions in a way that can’t be replicated in a classroom. Not that the journalism school isn’t valuable, but the Texan is too. As long as the Texan is student-run, it will be able to teach its students in the best way possible.

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