After three semesters at the Daily Orange, it is time for me to say goodbye to one of my greatest experiences in Syracuse. I have had the pleasure to work with some amazing and talented people this past year-and-a-half and am looking forward to seeing where we all end up.

Nate Fenn: Nate, thank you for always believing in me and making the Daily Orange one of the first places I felt comfortable on this campus. I still miss our chats when I would first walk in and I would hear about your weekends and what new music you were listening to. I truly wish you all the best and I hope Walnutpalooza is just the first festival you’re playing at.

Dakota: Long time no see! Now as a Culture editor, I really appreciate you as an editor and a person. I loved hearing all the updates on games and movies from you and miss late nights at the D.O. my first semester waiting for stories to come in. I know you will find success in your future and I am so excited to see what comes of it!

Siron: Siron, I could not possibly explain how weird this semester has been without you around. You have been a staple in my Daily Orange experience and really made me feel like a part of something. I know you’ve enjoyed your semester off but I sure hope to see Siron Thomas on a byline soon 🙂

Sophia: With all due respect to everyone I’ve worked with, I don’t think any of them will be mad when I say you might be one of the best people to come through the doors of the Daily Orange. Like genuinely, even if you didn’t have incredible skills and intelligence, I still think you are one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I don’t need to wish you all the best because I know you will find it regardless. But I still will.

Shantel and Kate Kelley: I really miss y’all. I don’t have much to say beyond that and I’m running out of room, but you guys were always so much fun to be around and kept me excited about my work. Kate, please don’t kill Nate next semester. Shantel, I am excited to see where you go with your life and really wish you all the best.

Richard: Thank you for helping me through one of the most fulfilling semesters in my life. I know we work at different paces, but I always appreciated your consistency and directness. Your passion and vigor for the Daily Orange was so important for me and kept me grounded when I felt like I was drowning. I am excited to see where you go with your career and, maybe selfishly, hope Manchester United can make their noisy neighbors a little more quiet soon!

Cole, Jana and Hamere: We did it!! Yayyy 🙃. I know how much work we have all put in and it’s been amazing to see y’all grow in your roles with me. Y’all have made some spectacular stories this semester and all of you have an amazingly bright future ahead. There are some names I tell myself to remember for the future and frankly y’all are the top of my list. Your dedication and passion for each of your sections have been incredibly motivating and important for me to see. I am happy I was on this ride with y’all and hope for many great achievements in the future.

Meghan: You have helped some of my worst stories still look great. I don’t think I could possibly thank you enough for the work you have put into the D.O. this semester and all previous ones. Your passion and intensity was so helpful and made me stay organized and focused. Whatever you do in the future I know you will bring that same passion.

Cassie: This might not sound nice but genuinely in the best way I am terrified of you. For a freshman to be this dedicated, good at their job and still somehow incredible to work with is simply absurd. I hope you know how incredibly valuable these traits are and continue to push yourself in the future. Don’t forget there will always be people who support you and can help, even though you probably don’t need it. I wish you all the best and hope we cross paths again in the future.

Anish and Kyle: I have a huge amount of respect and love for Rachel and Richard but I can’t lie, I’m a little jealous of the new head-eds. They don’t even know how blessed they are to have two of the best editors, writers and people the D.O. has produced reading their stories. I could take time to wish y’all all the best but I already know you will bring that to management. Just one thing, please be nice to Culture, we are really trying our best.

Kelly: I am still shocked at how quickly you were able to find your place in the Daily Orange. In one semester, you have become such an important part of the Culture section and the house as a whole. Your work ethic, sense of humor and willingness to pick up whatever weird story I pitch to you has been incredible. I hope you still find time to meditate with a rock, listen to Taylor Swift and talk about the wacky life you live. Also, feel free to check out this paragraph when writing lists, AP style still gives a f*ck about an Oxford comma.

Ofentse: I want you to know how unbelievably happy I was when I found out you wanted to stay on as a copy editor this semester. I knew, beyond your skills as an editor, how much you would bring to the Culture room. Your intelligence, patience and hardwork have been so valuable and the section probably would have been much less cohesive without you. Your bright smile and passion for work always made me happy to be there, even on our worst days. You will find success in whatever you do and I hope to see where you go!

Abby: I still think daily about Grode’s class and how long it took for us to acknowledge you were reading the only things I cared about my sophomore year. I also want you to know you are the only reason I did any of this. I clearly remember thinking “If someone as good at journalism as Abby Presson is in the D.O., I should probably do the same.” Everytime I read one of your stories I still learn something and improve as a journalist myself. I am incredibly grateful you came to Culture and returned for this semester. Your creativity and intelligence were so helpful, both in your work and in house.

Evelyn: I am so mad you’re not staying at the Daily Orange. Like I guess you want to “see the world” or something but the D.O. will really be missing an excellent writer and person in the house. I will miss our little jokes at the insanity that would go on around us and really appreciated your consistency and dedication to our work. I hope I see you again, but if I don’t, I really hope you get to live in Maine.

Nate: I am so excited to see what you will do as Culture editor. Your positivity, kindness and passion for the people around you is so important. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and to take things slow. Give yourself time to get comfortable, you will do great things with Culture and beyond!

Santiago and all of design: I know you guys never get the credit y’all deserve, but your work does not go unnoticed. Y’all have done amazing work this semester and I know that will continue into the future.

Hank: I really wish you all the best. Your personality and passion spread through the house and it was amazing to see you work with all of your assistants. You really are one of the most talented people at the D.O. and have so much potential. Believe in yourself! You might be surprised with what you find.

Rachel: This feels fitting to be leaving with you. I literally have never known the D.O. without you. We have worked the same days every single semester. I don’t think I would have been able to do most of my stories without your constant support and love. Your personality and positivity is infectious and the D.O. is worse off with your leaving. I am so lucky to have been able to see you grow and mature, even if you didn’t always want to. I am so excited to see where you will go in life and please text me if you want to talk, you know I hate texting first.

Sophie: My co-executive chef. Every single story I’ve written, every one I’ve edited and even Weed Guide be damned, you might just be the best thing the Daily Orange has given me. Beyond what you have done as a writer and editor, you are one of my favorite people I have ever met. I hope you will be a lifelong friend because I can’t imagine what I would do without you. Believe in yourself and what you do, you will find all the success you want in the future. And if you ever need a friend, I will always be there for you.

Everyone in house that I have and haven’t mentioned: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You gave a very insecure kid from South Louisiana the first place he ever felt comfortable here. I am indebted to all of you for showing me the beauty and power journalism can have. I love all of you from the bottom of my heart. If you ever need a friend or a place to relax, call me. I will forever be in y’all’s debt.

Published on April 27, 2023 at 8:00 am