Attending Rochester Institute of Technology

Thinking about making a difference in people’s lives and having people become aware of certain events that are happening especially around the community has given me so much and is what makes The Courant so great.

I joined The Courant in my sophomore year and having just moved to a completely different state that was 10 hours away from the one I previously lived in, it was insane. I remember how crazy I was thinking about joining the newspaper and how I always thought that my writing was never that strong and how nervous I would get meeting new people. Yet, I still decided to take the risk and enjoy the journey I gave myself.

Looking back to all the stories I have written I can see a clear growth and variation to all the types of stories. I have become more comfortable with going out of my comfort zone and experiencing all the opportunities the stories have given me. I found the real challenge had been coming up with stories then actually writing them. Even so, The Courant has given me the opportunity to be able to be involved in school activities and know more about my school. 

Now, if you were to tell my sophomore self that I would become the Editor in Chief I would have never had believed it. Thinking about how amazing the growth I have gone through the last 3 years brings tears to my eyes. I have learned to be a leader and even though the position scares me, I tried to give it my all. It’s been an experience that I will never forget and something I hope I have impacted on the great and amazing people of The Courant.

Now, of course, my development and growth didn’t come from just me but the people around me who have been such a great influence. I would like to thank all the people who I have interviewed who have been great enough to take time out of their day and give me a quote that has been incredible. 

Thank you to Ms. Arceri who had shown me how much I had a passion for chemistry and for helping me out on my essay for my Reflective Project. Thank you to Mr. Shea who has given me a space in the engineering world. 

A big thank you to Mr. Suchopar for being an amazing teacher, and for simply encouraging me. It has been a great experience for me. I can never imagine another teacher being able to teach that class.

I would like to give a very special thank you to Mrs. Semple who I can not begin to thank for and probably never will be able to forget for as long as I live. She has gone through so much with me, from when I have had concerns, or when I have not been in the best of health. Thank you for giving me a space in the wonderful life of Crossroads yearbook and The Courant. I would be completely lost without her and she has just made my high school experience the best I could possibly get. I want to say thank you for everything and I hope you continue being the best person anyone can ask for.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who is reading this and who has watched me grow with every story I have written. I will never forget the time I had over 100 views on one of my stories and I know that I was only able to because of all of you. 

Saying goodbye is never an easy thing to do and honestly it is not something I am prepared for. Still I will take every experience that I have been given and take it with me for wherever I may go. I won’t necessarily think it has a full goodbye but more of a thank you than anything else. Thank you for everything and I hope you all do well, see you all. ◼️