Column | My first and last

It’s quite ironic that this is my first column ever, and my last night working at The Pitt News.

I’m not really sure how writing a column works. I’ve only ever edited them, which involves removing Oxford commas — much to my dismay — and trying to remember the rules for hyphens. So I guess I will just try to be honest about how I’m feeling after four years at Pitt, and three at TPN.

I’ll never forget the day my parents dropped me off at college. As I stood in my cramped Tower B dorm room, I felt completely sick to my stomach. You would’ve thought I was never going to see my family again from the way that we were crying. Everything about college scared me — the food, the classes, the people and the thought of being five hours away from home. I felt so lonely when my family left, but that didn’t last for long, because my randomly assigned roommate became someone who is still my best friend at Pitt to this day. Hi, Marie.

Now, I’m a senior with less than two weeks to go before graduation, and I don’t feel scared anymore. Pitt has given me everything I could’ve hoped for — lifelong friends, wonderful classes and The Pitt News.

When I interviewed to be a copy editor back in 2019 as a sophomore, I returned to my dorm and cried afterward because I was so sure I had bombed the interview. Now I am sitting here three years later, writing this column as copy chief on my final night at TPN.

The Pitt News had a bigger impact on my life than I would ever be able to fully put into words. I have come out of my shell, turning from a shy copy editor into an editorial board member. I have made friends here that I hope to keep for the rest of my life, and our office has become one of my favorite places on campus. Going into work never fully felt like going into work, because I was walking into doing something that I love with people that I adore.

I will miss my TPN friends dearly. Jane, Jon, Rebecca and all the others who I’ve had the pleasure of working with will always hold a special place in my heart.

OK, I think that’s enough sappiness for one night. To future Pitt Newsers, I will forever be subscribed to the newsletter — so please, please, please remember to delete every single Oxford comma.