As a transfer student and somebody who joined the Texan their junior year, I didn’t think I’d ever be a department head.

Even now, every time I tell somebody I’m the social media editor, I follow up with “Haha I don’t really know what I’m doing though.”

I’ve echoed that same sentiment when talking about my work as a Life & Arts reporter, news reporter and Diversity and Inclusion contributor.

Even though I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, I must have been doing something right if I was kept around.

Here’s to the people that believed in me:

Trinady: Thank you for hiring me when I didn’t know how to write a story. Thank you for letting me cry to you in the basement (more than once). Thank you for believing in my ideas. Most importantly, thank you for being a swiftie. You are a kind and compassionate leader that will take over the world someday.

Michael: Hi bestie. Thank you for talking to me at the orientation party when I was a shy little social staffer. You quickly became one of my closest friends in college and the person I could always count on for a laugh. You are immensely talented, and I am inspired by your leadership every day.

Hal and Rebeccah: Thank you for mentoring me. I would not be where I am today without you both. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me through difficult times.

Nuzha, Ben and Chloe: Thank you for helping me run this department. I could not have survived this semester without you.

Areeba: Thank you for always supporting me and taking my calls. You are an incredible and genuine journalist. I can’t wait to see all that you do.

My incredible staffers (all 24 of you): Thank you. You have gone above and beyond this semester to valiantly fulfill your social duties. I can’t wait to see what you will accomplish at the Texan (spoiler: it will be great things).

Peter: Thank you for your feedback. After being here for two years, I can tell you exactly which three stories you have said were “good.”

Texas Travesty editors: Thank you for setting the bar so low in journalism that I could literally get away with anything at the Texan.

Naj: Thank you for hanging up all of my articles on your fridge.

The Daily Texan was imperative to my development as a journalist. I would not have been afforded the opportunities that I have had without this newspaper.

To future Daily Texan staffers: We’re all figuring it out as we go. Be confident. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pretend you do. Eventually, you’ll figure it out. That’s all that I did.