While you read this I want to assure you that this will not be a sad goodbye. My opinion is that there are only two ways to say goodbye; a bittersweet remembrance or the utter truth.

For the past two years, I have been part of an organization that has changed my view on life, friends and education. This organization has not only helped me reach out to opportunities that I normally would not have, but it has given me connections to new interesting people. The fact of the matter is that being a part of a group of people changes you, and sometimes that doesn’t mean change for the better.

Being a member of this group taught me some of the most valuable lessons. I learned that if you want to be a part of a particular group, that you need to conform. I’m certain that we have all changed for an individual. If not, kudos to you, but changing for a group is different. You are transformed into someone that you don’t want to be with people that you don’t want to be like.

Obviously, I’m not saying that change is bad, and I’m not saying that being a member is nothing but conforming. I’m trying to say that I learned to interact with people that I normally would not interact with. These individuals were sometimes people that I didn’t like talking to or interacting with. This is the definition of life for everyone around us.

In every aspect of our lives, from birth to death, we are thrust into situations with people that we disagree with or dislike, yet we learn from these people and are molded by these people.

All of this said, there are so many amazing people that I have worked with throughout my semesters here. My first boss that taught me to express myself in all of my work. My best friends who taught me that it’s okay to mess up sometimes. The greatest professionals that I have worked with and taken care of me are in this organization, and I cannot be more thankful for these amazing opportunities.

So I say thank you to Student Media. Thank you to The George-Anne for preparing me fully for the world outside of college and my comfort zone. You have created a somewhat functioning adult that learned to grin and bare it throughout life’s most frustrating people. Thank you for giving me best friends, amazing colleagues and some of the funnest semesters of my life.