05/09/08

After three years at the Baker Orange and nearly 100 bylines later, the fat lady has been beckoned to the stage for her grand finale.

This is it – my final byline – my last column in the Orange, so I want it to be nothing short of a phenomenal read.

I’ve been stressing out hoping not to disappoint a single person who allows me to take five minutes of their time as I offer my final thoughts at Baker.

A day or so ago, it finally hit me that the checkered flag is starting to wave at the end of the straightaway, and the finish line is in the not-so-distant future.

It baffles me to imagine myself becoming a real person, but inevitably, it had to happen sometime.

Over the past few days, there has been a multitude of thoughts and memories from the past three years bouncing to-and-fro throughout the space that fills my dome.

I have been lucky enough to work in a newsroom with a group of brilliant minds that has pushed me to one day make my dreams a reality.

These journalists, and more importantly friends, have helped me realize my Sports Illustrated dreams are not exactly worthy of a laugh.

I was given the chance to dawn a Wildcat jersey every spring with teammates who have truly no idea how much they have meant to me on and off the field.

My senior season might not get even a measly nine from the Russian judges, but my mom has always said things happen for a reason, and this adversity was no different.

It seems trite to say significant adversity occurs during an athletic season, but trust me; it has made me appreciate the little delicacies of life while preparing me to overcome the giant fiends of the all-too-often scary world.

Yes, it has been a long, crazy trip that seems to be ending far too soon for me.

However, I can genuinely say I’ve gotten the best of both worlds.

Simply, I am a very fortunate person.

I was given a chance to relish those minute moments of glory that came every time I hopped across the white chalk lines of Sauder Field.

And getting the opportunity to have my voice heard in so many different ways through the Orange has definitely been tremendously gratifying.

It’s been a long, bumpy road with a never-ending list of first-rate and occasionally low-class memories, but I have to accept this fact: My time as an undergrad is finally coming to an end.

For those of you who took the time to read even one of my articles over the years for any number of reasons, I would like to thank you – whether you loved it or hated it, at least you read it.

If you took the time to comment about my work in passing, or in another way, thank you. I have never cared whether you loved my work or hated my work; I just hope I provoked an opinion.

To my teammates, thank you. We didn’t reach the top of the mountain, but we had one hell of a time trying to get there. You guys never stopped fighting for me and never let me give up on myself.

To the staff of the Baker Orange, thank you. Thank you for showing me that I belong in the world of journalism. More importantly, thank you for simply putting up with me.

And finally, dad, just thank you.

Now, it’s time for me to become a real person in the real world, and I think I’m ready. I’m ready to go see just how far my tiny voice can echo in this big scary world, maybe one day those echoes will get loud enough to make you all proud.