This column, my last written work for The Daily Texan, started the same as all of my articles: with a frustrating series of typing and deleting, taunted by a flashing cursor.
Does writer’s block ever go away? It never did in my seven semesters working for the Texan, so I’m starting to lose hope.
I joined the Texan freshman year longing to make a contribution to this newspaper, but I had no clue what type of journalist I wanted to be. I spent a semester writing Opinion columns before covering features for Life&Arts, but I wasn’t quite satisfied. I wanted to cover local government, state politics and the University administration, so I made yet another department switch to News. There, I covered the city council, the environment and the Capitol, and I loved it.
What makes the Texan so special is this opportunity for experimentation, the ability to hop around the Basement to find where people fit best. It’s a privilege I did not take for granted.
To everyone who turns to the Texan as a source of news, thank you for trusting us to serve you. Everything we do is to inform you, our community, and we carry the responsibility with pride.
Kylee, you were such a devoted, caring department head, and you deserve all the praise in the world for your work. Vivien, you always held the department to a high standard, and I admire your dedication to good journalism. You made great partners and I can’t wait to see what you both go on to accomplish.
Aaron, Pili and Ren, thank you for always bringing joy to the News corner. You made our jobs so much easier by being excellent desk editors. News is in great hands with the three of you.
My News reporters, I’m sorry for my lack of participation in the news-random Slack channel, but I was there in spirit. Words cannot describe how proud you make me. Remember how talented you are, but allow yourself to make mistakes. Please continue to hold the University accountable through diligent fact-checking and reporting. It’s important now more than ever.
Amelia, Joelle and Katie, thank you for letting me linger on the couch in the management office. You make a brilliant team, and I’m always laughing when I’m around you. The News department covered a lot of challenging stories this semester, and we had the confidence to do so because of your unwavering support and leadership.
Peter, you scared the crap out of me the first time you critiqued my work, but you are the reason students leave this newsroom having achieved such growth. Thank you for everything.
Mason, my work wife, how I missed you in the basement this semester! We bonded over the chaos of SR semester, and now I’m lucky to call you my dear friend. Thank you for always being a light.
To my friends outside of journalism, thank you for putting up with me through this busy job. I’m excited to (in theory) have more time to spend with you in our last semester of college.
Ava and Caroline, thank you for being the Texan’s biggest fans. I saved you two for last because I know you’ll always read to the end of a Texan article. I can’t even say that about myself, so, kudos.
As my final goodbye, I would like to confess my love for the Oxford comma. I will forever and always defend the use of the Oxford comma. I’m sick of this “grammatically optional” nonsense. The entire literary publishing world considers the Oxford comma a standard, so why must journalists be different? I will never understand, nor will I change my mind.
Thank you, Daily Texan, for this wonderful era of my career.
