After a year of working as editor of the Old Gold & Black, it is finally time to say goodbye.

This is the hardest column that I have ever had to write. It has been very difficult to leave behind something that I have been working on for four years. It has been even more difficult to leave behind a community of the most wonderful, talented and creative people that I ever met.

Throughout my time at this publication, the Old Gold & Black has seen an explosive growth in content and readership, an unprecedented switch to a new publishing schedule, the establishment of an arts and culture magazine, the introduction of a multimedia department and a complete redesign of its newspaper. The Old Gold & Black has received recognition among the best college news organizations in the country and has won national awards for its print publication.

Our news team has covered stories ranging from the transition from a pandemic on the college campus, the explosion of a fertilizer plant and revelations about the prevalence of sexual misconduct at Wake Forest, and we have celebrated the Wake Forest community with stories of the underappreciated and overlooked.

These are not my accomplishments, but the accomplishments of the remarkable staff of the Old Gold & Black. Although I would like to tell you all the long and boring story of my journey at the newspaper, how it has brought me some of the greatest joys of my life, and some of the most difficult moments of my college career, I think the rest of the space in this column should be reserved for the people that made all of this success possible.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important to me than my faith in God, and without Him, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity.

I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Phoebe Zerwick, who guided me through many of the difficult decisions throughout this year. I would also like to thank my predecessor, Alexandra Karlinchak, who gave me wise advice and put the Old Gold & Black on the path to growth and transformation.

Thank you to my executive team, Aine Pierre, Selinna Tran and Cooper Sullivan. It was an honor to work with you and I am so grateful for the incredible work that you have done for the publication.

Thank you to the editorial board and staff of the Old Gold & Black. You have worked tirelessly to produce groundbreaking, exceptional work.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to the loyal readership of the Old Gold & Black. I am eternally grateful for your time and support.