This is the end

This column comes to you from a crying editor in chief, heartbroken that by the time this column reaches you, her tenure at The Spectrum will be at an end.

I can't believe how quickly college has flown by - how badly I don't want to be an adult and be forced to leave friends, sleeping until noon, and drinking on Mondays behind. I still sleep with Woffer, my trusty pal from childhood, along with about five other furry friends, and love games of all kinds, and I antagonize my peers at The Spectrum by mandating competitions between editors to guess a color or an animal in budget meetings.

I'm not ready to be an adult.

I'll always be grateful to the editorial board of The Spectrum for awarding me the chance to lead this newspaper. It is with a nervous heart and tissues in hand that I write my final piece for this paper, three years after I first became a member of the staff.

Whether it's my roots at the Life Desk coming back to remind me of bygone semesters, or Photo Desk finding me a "dramatic picture" on short notice, this place is filled with memories and lessons that I'll always remember.

Nothing lasts forever. Both pain and friendship fade as the months go by. And though I know that on Wednesday, I'll no longer be as welcome in 132 Student Union, I know it's for the best.

It's time to pass the torch, so that others might have the wonderful opportunities afforded to me.

To the Sports Desk editors with their big hearts, thank you for your dedication. And to Stephen Marth, next year's editor in chief: you're only as good as the mistakes you learn from.

Just don't print "ten" in my paper.

To the News Desks past and present: thank you for being diligent, faithful editors. To the Arts Editors: though I pretend to be mad at you, know that I always secretly laugh prior to yelling at you.

It's important to never take things too seriously. What I've learned this year, more than any other, is that if you don't make the best of things you'll always be miserable. Laugh when things go wrong, and always try to keep your problems in perspective.

To managing editors past and present, thank you for always having my back and for showing me how not to be passive aggressive. "In the know" meetings, jamming to the Free Willy song, and your willingness to get PDF*cked with me are some of my fondest memories of college; ones I hope to look back on long after graduation.

Thanks to Debbie and Helene, who are just as much moms as they are business managers. And thanks to Charity, who always knows how to calm us down.

Thanks to the brothers of Alpha Phi Omega, and for the opportunity to give back to the community. Most of all though, thank you for teaching me that the best way to have friends is to be one.

Thanks to my friends, to Joey, Michael, my grandmother and John, who have listened to "I have to be at The Spectrum, sorry!" for three years. Thanks also to my parents who, despite masking their message in clich?(c)s and comments about being the next Diane Sawyer, I know really believe in me. Thank you for all of the support, listening to me be crabby, and for the Sunday steaks on the grill. Thanks also for not selling my stuff and for keeping my room purple while I've been gone - I'll be home soon.

As I move on to law school, new responsibility and a new life, I already feel mentally burdened by the challenges the future holds. And though school continues for me, it's the beginning of true adulthood - of finding a job, being a professional and starting a life.

I feel like it's never going to be the same again - and truth be told, it won't be.

Though I feel as though I'm being forcibly dragged into adulthood, true growth doesn't come from comfortably coasting into the waters of change. The tidal wave of change is coming and it's time to fight for air once again.

Sink or swim.