How do you say goodbye to something that has meant so much to you?
This has been a letter I’ve been writing in my head since I joined staff as a first year. That meeting on a Monday night four years ago seems so far away, but also like it was yesterday. But, here we are. I am the exiting Editor in Chief, the position I had always aspired for and now I am leaving.
I knew before I even started at Mills that I wanted to join The Campanil, having spoken with a student at my prospie day about it, and was invited to a meeting when I started school that August.
I almost want to write out my entire history at The Campanil: the ups, the downs and the in the middles, but that can’t happen. We have a word limit and I would go off on about a million tangents, and some stories are best suited to stay in the newsroom.
But I keep coming back to one thing: how much I LOVE this newspaper and this staff. I don’t know how I got so lucky to lead such amazing and unique individuals, all bringing different backgrounds and stories to the room. Even though it has been painted over, I will always think of it as that horrible almost baby blue.
I want to say over and over how important this place has been to me. A place to take a nap between classes, somewhere to commiserate with fellow students, who eventually become like family. The newsroom has truly become my home during the four years I have spent at Mills. I spent long nights here working on papers, projects and my thesis, along with putting together this paper. And I finally realized why I come here to study, and its because I am so inspired by the work done in this room. Inspired by the people who have passed through. Inspired by our advisor, Sarah Pollock, who encouraged me to take Meredith May’s Journalism I class and has introduced me to the many journalism networks through which I have gotten internships.
I am not sure how to end this, maybe because I don’t know what will be coming next for me, but maybe because I don’t really want to say goodbye to the newsroom and The Campanil. But here we go, I get to cross “be EIC” and “graduate college” off of my long term to do list, and move on to the next thing.
To everyone who I have worked with here, thank you for teaching me something, whether it be about journalism or life or whatever, thank you. You are all smart, capable people. I will miss you all dearly.
To my family and partner, thank you. I am beyond words as to how grateful I am for your endless support. I love you all.
In the words of Edward Murrow- Goodnight and goodluck.
