I think I joked about quitting The Pitt News almost every week since I became an editor. But now that my time to leave is here, there is nothing I want more than to stay.

Despite all the times I complained about the long hours, the stress of production nights and the seemingly never-ending breaking news stories, I am eternally grateful to this organization that gave me a glimpse into a future I never believed would be possible for me. 

In my tenure here at The Pitt News, I’ve gotten the chance to meet U.S. presidents, hold the University accountable, cover countless protests, witness a burning effigy, have a smoke bomb thrown at me, help keep the English Language Institute open, write an award-winning story about a bird watching club and just about a million other things.

But as I’m sitting here on the worn-out couch in The Pitt News office surrounded by a mishmash of handmade drawings and Christmas lights, I am realizing that the cool reporting stories won’t be the thing I remember the most — it will be the hundreds of memories and lifelong friends that I’ve gathered along the way. 

I’ll miss the late-night office soccer games while the editor-in-chief tried to do homework, the popcorn and slushies on Tuesdays, playing gin in the office, the news parties and the endless McDonalds runs we took despite our very empty wallets. 

The Pitt News gave me a sense of purpose in my life and a safe space at a time when I was feeling a bit lost. It made me feel more confident in who I was as a person, and taught me to believe in myself and strive for goals I never thought I could achieve. 

The truth is, I never expected to be a journalist, and had I not stumbled on The Pitt News listing during a late-night search for research labs my first year, I would probably be heading off to medical school right now. 

In fact, if you had told first-year me that I would ditch all aspirations of going to medical school and pursue journalism, I would have quite honestly laughed in your face. 

Now I am heading off to New York and on my way to becoming a professional journalist, and I am just so happy with my life that sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is all real.

I think what most people don’t understand is that The Pitt News is an institution that has created Pulitzer finalists, Propublica investigative reporters, CNN correspondents, outstanding photographers and hundreds of other editors and reporters who are all tirelessly producing phenomenal journalism that stems from the lessons they learned here at The Pitt News. 

While sometimes I joke that The Pitt News is a cult that makes you fall in love with journalism, this place isn’t just a silly little college paper. It is the foundation for so many talented journalists who all are working to cover their community. 

TPN is a hodgepodge mix of news junkies, creatives, sports fanatics, grammar nerds and some of the absolute funniest and smartest people you will ever meet. And what brought us all together was a genuine passion and love for the paper and the desire to tell the stories of Pitt. 

I’ll miss helping with election night coverage, never understanding what the sports writers were talking about, and my obsession with the birdwatching club — giving me the nickname “birder-in-chief.” I’ll miss it all, every single moment. 

This place was the best part about college for me, and I can’t believe it is coming to an end. 

I am so proud to have been among all of the incredibly talented editors and writers at The Pitt News, and I can’t wait to see where everyone ends up. I am obviously hoping that everyone comes to New York with me, and we all live in a Pitt News frat house and create our own media conglomerate. 

But no matter where we end up, I am going to always miss this moment in time, when we all worked together for The Pitt News. So thank you to the entire Pitt News staff for welcoming me with open arms, and helping me grow into the person I am today.

They say that college will be the best years of your life, and while I hope I’ll continue making amazing memories in the future, working at The Pitt News will always be a highlight.

Signing off one final time, 

Your birder-in-chief

Punya Bhasin