When I think back on UW Oshkosh, there’s two things I think might come to mind: broken clocks and the student newspaper.

I plan to transfer out of UWO  this coming spring semester. And though annoyance at broken clocks (and the fact that they were fixed a month before I leave) may stick around, if I dig a little deeper, I’ll remember a lot of things to be grateful for. 

I can unabashedly say that there wasn’t a single course I took, nor a single professor I studied under, that I didn’t enjoy learning from. I met an astounding number of amazing people, and I got to take part in experiences that enriched my understanding of the world and my place in it.

At the center of those experiences was a publication called the Advance-Titan. My biggest regret is not committing to reporting for it sooner–though I wrote a story in the spring semester while exploring my then-Journalism major (now English), it wouldn’t be until the fall that I really started writing for the A-T.  

My best memories from this school are writing for this newspaper, a publication which let me detail the inner workings of our often-chaotic campus.

 If I can impart one thing onto our student body before I leave, it’s that this campus has so many opportunities that you (yes, you) don’t even know about and if only you knew about them you’d probably be as enthused as I am.

The Advance-Titan turned my attention to aspects of campus life I never would’ve known about otherwise (shout-out to the crucial work of the folks at the Cabinet), and to developments within the greater Oshkosh community. 

There are controversies, mysteries, history and people making a difference all around us, and student journalism is a way to cement those stories within conversations on our campus and in its related communities. 

I wrote 18 articles this semester, and there’s something that I love in each and every one of them. Some of them had local importance, some of them national; some of them were very serious, and at least two of them, this one included, were very goofy (who knew talking about Halloween movies could be so fun?). But all of them were integral to enriching my time at UWO and my sense of belonging in its community.

I could list names, but honestly, I really just want to thank everyone on the A-T staff. Reader, you might not know this, but the people working for A-T are some of the friendliest, more supportive folks on campus, and because of that, a sense of community came super quickly to me. 

Journalism, with deadlines, late nights and possible AP style errors looming around you like an overbearing teacher, can be stressful. But the people I reported with made that stress worth it, and I can’t imagine a better team to write with.

I’ll keep you in mind, UWO, and I’ll certainly be keeping up with the Advance-Titan. This is Liam Beran, signing off.