Because I am a master of embarrassing myself, I’ll start my senior send-off with an embarrassing story. It starts back to when I was driving back to my hometown for Easter weekend after our Advance-Titan staff meeting.

As I was driving home, I remembered this was going to be the last time, while I was in college, that I would make this trip.

On the radio, “Closing Time,” by Semisonic, a song I hadn’t heard in years, came on. While listening to the song, a thought hit me. I had six weeks left at UWO.

While the lyrics played out, a surreal feeling came about me as if the lyrics meant something all completely different than they did in the past. “Every new beginning starts from some other beginnings end,” resonated with me, and yes, I embarrassingly enough started crying.

As I was trying to manage driving and crying, I thought back on some of my greatest memories at UWO and so many of them come from my time spent at the A-T.
The A-T was a new beginning for me.

It was the beginning of learning something I love. It was the beginning of meeting some of the best people I have ever known. It was the beginning of me gaining some confidence in myself.

While I could go on-and-on about so many of the people I need to thank, I will keep it short and sweet, but please know that the memories you have given me, go further than a graf.

Ti and Alex. Without you two, I would have never joined this wild and crazy adventure. Ti, thank you for being my M.E. mentor, my “Always Sunny” guy, being concerned about me being color blind, and giving me my cool nickname. M.E. life forever. Alex, while some say the “Ti and Alex news team” was the best, I would just like to say the “Alex and Laura news team” was pretty awesome as well. People forget that. Also, I’ll always appreciate the time I was “head news” for like an hour. Thank you both for your guidance, kindness, and being amazing friends.

Mike. Remember that time we went to Dallas and Koretzsky asked if anyone was dating on our staff, and no one said anything, and we put the whole staff through that awkward critique? Yeah, me too. Thank you for being the calming person I needed throughout this adventure and making me happy. Your ambition and love for the sports section is admiring, and I know you’ll crush it at any job you have in the future.

Collin. Thanks for keeping the memes fresh, and the CC section even fresher. Your attitude always made the newsroom a great place to come to and work. I hope you get a job that lets you use all of your creativity in the future.

Chip. Thanks for loving “The Office” as much as I do. You bring the team together. I mean you got a whole team of people to start saying the word folks, and if that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does. I know the A-T is in good hands with you at EIC. *Mini-dabs out*

Christina. Your wonderful spirit and attitude is what takes this team to the next level. Your drive as a journalist is going to make the news section amazing next semester. Also, thanks for being down for getting a Bloody Mary or two.

Neal. You are carrying on a position that is near and dear to my heart. Crush it. Keep ordering that regular drink before the all-you-can-drink deal at Molly’s.

Morgan. There were difficult decisions to be made and to be had, but we did it. Thank you for your leadership at the A-T and for complaining with me in Advanced Reporting over literally everything and anything.

To Al (the Jimmy John’s ambassador) Thompson, Alicia, Lydia, Erin, Alyssa, Kurt and Elizabeth. Thanks for keeping the A-T folks-y and having my back. Ya’ll keep the A-T moving and making it the best product it can be. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the memories.

Thank you to the my team behind this team. My 757 girls, my friends and my family. Thank you for dealing with my busy schedule and supporting me and my love of the A-T.

Now it’s this beginning’s end.

I’m not sure where my next new beginning will be yet, but I know because of the love and support I have gained from these people and these experiences, there is not a challenge I can’t take on. Here’s to my real ones.