I never thought I’d end up in E-O102, especially not at the center computer, leading class somedays, editing stories and getting to know people like my second family. But here I am, writing on my middle computer for the last time.
Over my four years in high school, Legacy Student Media became my second home. It’s a place I always felt seen with people who always cared. It allowed me to travel the country and see places I never would have otherwise: Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Nashville, New York and Austin (lots of trips to Austin).
I spent so many Saturdays in Leaguetown, writing about students who sold friendship bracelets to fight hunger, kittens sneaking in the art room, a janitor sleeping in his car, a principal mowing the school lawn each weekend with the district in a budget deficit and most recently, a third of teachers who failed to go into lockdown procedure with common faults causing them to lose trust in the new button lockdown system.
To the editors and writers before me, thank you for seeing me and encouraging me to give The Rider Online my all.
To the editors and writers after me, thank you for giving me a reason to stay here and allowing me to teach you everything I know so you can prosper in the future.
To Mallett, thank you for never doubting me and pushing me out of my comfort zone. It was always special learning what it meant to wear a Legacy Student Media shirt and be “one of Mallett’s kids” because of the work you put in and the people you know.
To Dearinger, thank you for always advocating for me and being my biggest cheerleader. You taught me how to take constructive criticism and to believe in myself.
I think we go through “lasts” all our lives that we never even notice, but when they all come at once, it’s bittersweet. It’s a bittersweet feeling to be so ready for the future while also missing the past. It’s a unique feeling to be so okay leaving a program because you know you’re leaving it in the best hands.
The skills I learned in journalism will be with me for the rest of my life, and I will be forever grateful for that.
One word of advice for anyone, being a kind, good human being will always mean more than any accolades, so prioritize people, always.
