The credits have begun to roll, and this time, there’s no end-credit scene saying “Ryan will return.” My time at UT is coming to an end, and therefore, my time at The Daily Texan is too.

I’ve been working as a film columnist since February 2022, and I’m forever grateful for the three years I’ve spent here. Diving into the world of film criticism has been one of my most fulfilling experiences in college. While not every review has been given a high score (I’m looking at you, “Morbius”), I try to praise films as much as I can. Making art is hard, and I hope to have shown readers during my time that every film has at least one good quality, even if the rest doesn’t hold up. 

Thank you, Flora Farr and Tyler Pullum, for helping me transition out of my position this year. Thank you, Flora, for your unending patience and understanding, and thank you, Tyler, for being willing to accept my job. You’re doing great already!

Thank you, Hrishita Das, for the insane art for this article. It’s the best drawing I’ve ever received of myself! 

Given how long I’ve been here and the 100+ articles I’ve written, I’ve worked with a lot of editors, so I wanted to say a sincere thank you to every LARTS editor and desk editor past and present that I’ve worked with, met and begged to read my chaotic writing. I wish the best for you all.

Thank you Reya Mosby and Sofia Treviño for hiring me freshman year; Trisha Dasgupta for hanging out in the LARTS corner; the video and audio departments for helping Sage Dunlap and I make our film podcast; Sydney Sweeney for chatting horror with me; Alyssa Sutherland for her words of encouragment, Bruce Campbell for giving me my best red carpet interview and everyone at Fons, Netflix, Warner Media, AMC, Moroch, Allied Marketing and every PR firm I had the pleasure to work with for the constant opportunities to review the media I love and interview the makers behind them.

Thank you Aaron Boehmer for being a kind and patient roommate that never fails to inspire me with every piece of writing you put out, Reya for being my ride-or-die friend and getting me to step back into the world of reading (I’ll miss our Book People and Waterloo runs), Sage for being one of my most passionate cheerleaders and podcast co-host (Unscripted was genuinely so fun) and Mimi Calzada for not only being a fantastic boss but someone who pushed me to be a good leader and example for the reporters around me (I’ll be sending you an Oscar ballot yearly).

Lastly, thank you, Noah Levine, for entrusting me with your position back in 2022. You’ve given me life-changing opportunities over the last four years that I’m forever grateful for. You’re also an amazing friend, and I’m so glad you agreed to get coffee and chat about horror with me all those years ago. Professors always talk about how you’ll remember your first “yes” that helped you in the industry, and you helping me take on UT’s film column will forever be the “yes” that sticks with me.

As my graduation approaches, the words of Ferris Bueller continue to resonate with me more and more: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once and a while you might miss it.” This, however, is not the end of my story because let’s face it, these days you gotta have a sequel!

5 tearful goodbyes out of 5