I remember first walking into the newsroom my freshman year. It was the middle of the pandemic and my sorority sister Lexi all but dragged me down there. 

“You’re a journalism major? Me too! Here, come write for the paper with me,” she said, and that’s how my journey at the Advance-Titan started. 

I started off as a shaky staff writer, scared to stray outside of my comfort zone, attending socially distanced meetings with the few members of the paper who were there.

All of that changed when Cory Sparks approached me my sophomore year about joining the editorial staff as the assistant arts and entertainment editor alongside the head editor Kylie.

I decided to take him up on the offer – the best decision I ever made. 

Moving up to full arts and entertainment editor my junior year was amazing, so I’m sad to let it go after two strong years of putting together the section. 

With all of this in consideration, I learned to make the paper my second home, my Tuesday nights spent downstairs in Reeve Memorial Union putting together a paper every week. 

I even got to take a trip to Washington D.C., where I fell in love with the city and everything I learned about journalism. 

There were late nights (too many of them to count), birthday celebrations, music sessions where a new member of the staff played DJ, and, of course, graduation celebrations.

After watching so many of them and putting together the senior send-offs these past three years, I can’t believe it’s my turn. 

I put my involvement in many places, with internships and my sorority Zeta Tau Alpha, but the Advance-Titan has always been something different in a good way. 

So as I write this listening to Taylor Swift (who’s surprised?), I can’t begin to express how thankful I am for the Advance-Titan. 

I’m thankful for the experience it gave me, from the countless articles on topics I enjoy like Fox Valley Vintage Fest to the portfolio experience that gave me many internship opportunities.

I was able to write for every section in the paper. My crowning achievement was writing about Taylor Swift at least once every year in college.  

The Advance-Titan also helped me find one of my dreams, which is working in the sports field.

I’m thankful for how it helped me gain professional experience as a student, putting together a publication filled with articles I had written to present.

I’m thankful for how it shaped me into the writer I am today, fine-tuning my skills to what they are now (and teaching me so much about AP style). 

But most importantly, I’m thankful for the people I met throughout my time at the Advance-Titan. The people are truly what made the experience of being on the paper the best.

I spent my Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons with some of the best people who I would have never met if I had not joined the paper, and here’s a thank you to some of them.

Thank you to my fellow senior Katie, who I’ve gotten to know over these four years through the paper after we met as scared freshmen at a story meeting. I will miss getting ice cream and making the best charcuterie boards.

Shoutout to Anya, my fellow Swiftie who if we had not met at the paper, I would have never attended The Eras Tour with and had one of the best nights of my life. 

Shoutout to Kelly the fashion queen of the Advance-Titan. Continue to slay queen. I’ll treasure all the kindness you have shown me over the years.

Shoutout to Aubrie for introducing me to spin and bringing so much laughter to my life that I didn’t have before. Never stop sending me memes on Instagram. 

Shoutout to the co-sports editors Jacob and Nolan. Thanks for letting me write for sports occasionally even if I had no clue what I was doing and asked a million questions.

Thank you to Barb, the best adviser I could have ever asked for. You taught me so much throughout my time here and made me the writer I am today. 

Lastly, shoutout to Owen Larsen for taking a chance and joining the paper as a senior transfer student (let’s pretend it wasn’t somewhat forced). I hope I can take your place as a gopher at Minnesota.

I owe some of my best college memories to the paper, and I don’t think I can ever express enough thanks for everything it has done for me. 

I’m a better person because of my experience at the Advance-Titan, and I think I’ll even miss the 2 a.m. Tuesday production nights. 

To anyone whom I have ever had the chance of getting to know through the Advance-Titan, thank you. 

After two years of arts and entertainment, I give my final sign-off as staff writer and editor. I think a piece of my heart will always have a home down in the Advance-Titan office.