D.O. Diehard. That’s what Casey called me when I first interviewed to come into the house with the red door, and I’ve never looked back since.

Even though this past semester was filled with plenty of stressful nights, most of them complete with less than three hours of sleep, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I found my little niche on campus — Delta Omega is my home and the people there are my family.

That was probably the cheesiest thing I’ve ever written, but it’s true.

Jess — I’m pretty sure I owe you a drink, or six. Thanks for encouraging me to take things in stride and go with the flow.

Nikeya — Thanks for always coming into the house with a smile on your face. You’re one of the sweetest people I know and are going to kill it in the PR world.

Nick and Alfred — Get Shrekt. I’ll be scarred for life, by the way.

Annie — I would’ve never been here if I didn’t start in News under your reign. Thanks for always being sarcastic in every situation with me.

Brett — Our handshake and your daily runs to Ernie made my day. Thanks for always knowing my order. News is left in great hands. Send a story my way sometime.

Lara — You turned Pulp into something great last semester, and I can only hope that the sweet stuff in the middle continues to grow as a result of that. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Larax on her perch. Thanks for rejecting all of our terrible macs these past two semesters. Pawn stars forever.

Kate Beckman — Stay classy and stay sassy, my friend. I can’t wait until we embark on our out-of-house adventures.

Alex — You remind me of me in a way. Never stop asking about D.O. history and keeping an ear out for that D.O. gossip. Fill me in from time to time. I see you going so far in featch.

Brendan — Thanks for being my lede guy and our source of humor in Pulp. You rule the mac game and for that I’ll be forever grateful. By the way, “Pirates of the Caribbean” is not my favorite movie.

Matt — Remember first semester of freshman year when you wrote your first D.O. story about field hockey and you made me read it? And I kept making fun of you for all of those “three ledes?” You may or may not know this, but I was jealous of your bylines, which made me start writing for The D.O. So, thanks and thanks for putting up with me even during the Day days.

Lindsay — I’m so glad we bonded this year over our Newhouse studio and graveyard adventures. Hasta luego, chica. Let’s hang out sometime.

Margo — What would I do without you? You made photo better than ever and set the bar so high for future editors. I still owe you ice cream and I’m so excited to hang out next semester when we have free time. It’s chill. #DOingAlbionforever

Mara — Thanks for being my twin and a brilliant friend. You’re going to kill it next semester as PD. Show ‘em who’s boss and don’t forget that I’ll always be around if you need a late night coffee run or a weekend dancing session.

Clare — I will forever remember the day Pulp had the most content planned for the paper. I couldn’t be prouder of you for taking on featch next semester. Just remember that A3s should be scheduled and to do your photo requests on time. I’m always here if you need anything — I can guarantee you’ll have your own shit list in no time — and I look forward to our coffee dates.

Mer — I’m so happy we became friends this semester. I stuck around because of you and even though I’m no longer in-house, I hope that we can still go to Stellas every now and then and you can update me on all things D.O. Thanks for being the Jewish mother I never had. I’ll miss that.

Vandy Man — Thanks for teaching me everything I know. You showed me that Pulp is the best section in house, and I know I can always count on you for just about anything — 2048 and all. I hope you remember me when you become Editor in Chief of Rolling Stone one day (and maybe give me a job).

Casey — I can’t thank you enough for convincing me to work for this crazy paper. You’ll always be mentor, adviser, editor and friend to me. Your weekly Kubal sessions kept me grounded and it’s from you that I learned, “The paper will always go out.” I don’t know what I’m going to do without you next semester, but I have a feeling I’ll see you around.

Published on December 4, 2014 at 4:13 am

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere