In the beginning, there was Jimmy Eat World. It was the first review I had ever written for the New University as a doe-eyed, second-year student who had never written any piece of journalism in my life. My thought process was that I liked music and I liked writing, so why not try to combine the two into something that would be productive?
And here I am now, sitting at the Entertainment Editors’ desk writing this goodbye column. A lot has changed since then, with my journey here being one that took me through the ringer of being a staff writer and a copy editor first.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from working at the newspaper for all this time, it’s that one should never (and I mean never) forget the value of your coworkers. At the New U, they’ve been more than that. They’ve been my fellow editors and some of my best friends. The newsroom became this sort of family bubble where we also did our work as journalists.
So, to everyone that has ever written or contributed to the Entertainment section, thank you. Without you all, there would be no newspaper, and there wouldn’t be all of your wonderful and unique talents and perspectives to showcase in writing.
To Claire Trevor School of the Arts and all the students there, thank you. It’s wonderful knowing that there are so many talented individuals that will undoubtedly do fantastic things in whatever their artistic passion may be, from music to dance. Also, thank you to all the students that have taken the time to be featured in our section and let the New U highlight their passion as artists.
And, finally, to all the students at UC Irvine and to everyone that I’ve been lucky to know, thank you all. It’s been one hell of a journey through three years working for Student Housing, three years for the New University and helping build the Irvine chapter of Phi Sigma Pi (co-ed honor fraternity) from the ground up. Everyone has brought something special to my life and my time here at Irvine, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Saying goodbye to things we love is never easy. But, perhaps, it’ll be a little easier knowing that leaving the newsroom on one last Sunday won’t be the end of everything we’ve built here. We passed the referendum, and we’ve made life-long friends. Our lives are still just beginning, and I can’t wait to see the amazing things of which we’re all capable.
Thank you, New U. I love you all.
