Writing for The Daily Texan can be a bit of an out-of-body experience.

I can tell you where I was when I heard the latest breaking news or how I participated in our coverage. But ask me to recount my thought process of these things? I couldn’t. With news, you don’t always think — you just do.          

It’s extraordinary that, as students, we have the privilege of participating in events in a way that can affect so many people. I’ll never forget the fork-stabbing of 2013 or the West power plant explosion earlier that year. I’ll always remember the excitement of Student Government elections and the fear of the West Campus bomb threat. And I know I’ll look back someday and remember that time the Jefferson Davis statue was removed, as well as the time Abigail Fisher requested her case against the University be heard in the Supreme Court — again.

But it doesn’t matter who you are at the Texan. You can be in comics, news, tech or design — we’re part of these experiences all the same. We’re by no means professionals and have no expertise, but when we’re in the newsroom, we get to do something special. What we do here is important. We have the opportunity to do something small that translates into something so much bigger.

That’s why the Texan is such an amazing production. We have nearly 200 students in 10 departments, collaborating to make a daily paper in a world that doesn’t like newspapers so much anymore. And I think everyone at the Texan truly believes in what we’re doing, or else we wouldn’t care so much. I’ve seen enough tears, frustration and late nights at the office to know that.

But I think more than we believe in the paper, we believe in each other. We really do try, and by goodness, we want each other to succeed. There are so many times I’ve felt discouraged because I felt I wasn’t cut out to be a journalist. Without the support of these friends, I would have left the Texan a long time ago.           

Bobby, I owe more to you than you realize — thank you for everything. Riley, thanks for taking a chance on me. Jordan, Julia, Jack — thank you for helping me grow as a writer, leader and person. Thank you to my friends — Wynne, Josh, Amanda, Madlin, to name a few — who have made the Texan such a fun place to work. Thank you to my senior reporters and news desk editors. Your dedication and talent is unparalleled. News, news, news! Thanks to my general reporters — this paper relies on you more than you realize. It’s been a pleasure watching you all grow. And finally, thank you to Anthony, for being my number one every step of the way. I really couldn’t have done it without you.

So this is for everyone I’ve ever met here. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend most of my college years in a basement with anyone else.

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