Since the first time I tried to do this didn’t go as planned, let’s try this again!

I do not think it was an accident that I ended up back as photo editor for all of my junior year. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and some part of me knew the first time that I wasn’t quite done and I would be back.

Since I already did this once, I am not going to make this as extensive but here’s round two.

Maxine and Cassie: I cannot tell you how calm I feel putting my baby (the photo section) in the hands of you two. You both are such gifted photographers and show such dedication and passion for everything you do. It is hard to rival the amount of blood sweat and tears Emily and I have put into this photo section in the last 3 years, but you both somehow are coming up on our heels. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter of D.O. photo looks like with you two.

Rachel: There are not enough words to say thank you for everything you have done for me. From being my biggest cheerleader, to my impulsive outing buddy, to always being able to make me laugh — I am so thankful for everything you do. I am privileged to be able to call you one of my best friends. You have done a hell of a job as ME. I am so proud of you!

Jana: You are literally the ultimate girl boss and I say that with all my heart. I don’t know what I would have done this semester without being able to rant to you and Rachel even when it was stupid. You have become my sort of backbone at the paper and I am going to miss seeing you almost every day.

Santiago: First of all, please for the love of god get some sleep. You deserve it! I do not know how you managed to pull together three guides this semester and make them all look fantastic. I am going to miss doing food spreads and spending the most chaotic night of the week in house with you. Thank you for being the only other person in the house to appreciate the art that are Carl Weezer parodies.

Cole & Anish: I can confidently say that you two made my job as photo editor so much easier on the sports end of things. You both being as organized as you are is a blessing and I can only hope that Tyler can pick up some of that. Thank you for helping me get to publish the first and probably only sports photo essay. It was a mess, but I couldn’t have done it without you both.

Hamere, Anthony, Rainu: You all ran your sections with a passion that I hadn’t seen in my first semester as photo editor. I am glad that I got to share in the lovely experience that is head-eds with you three every week. Enjoy actually getting to sleep without nightmares of what the week 8 budget is going to look like.

Eva: You literally made my spread dreams come true so many times I cannot count anymore. You are one of the most passionate designers I have ever met and you are truly gifted at what you do. Taking on Moody Mag in addition to The D.O. was insane, but you absolutely kicked ass. I will miss spending almost every week together, but you deserve a break from newspaper life for a while.

Sophie: I really hope that being DME doesn’t kill the happy-go-lucky, bubbly person that I have come to know you as. You are genuinely one of the most caring people I have ever met and I think this really shows through in your writing which is what makes it so good. You are extremely passionate about what you do and I hope that never fades. Keep Kyle and Anish in line next semester!

Dom: You really are the man that never stops! I am so glad that I got to know you this semester and truthfully I admire your work ethic so much. You are one of the most driven people I have ever met and I hope that that always stays with you. Please try to take it easy — as easy as a news assistant can — next semester.

Claire & Brittany: Hehe, band to D.O. pipeline stays alive! I am so happy that you both decided to join the D.O. after months of encouraging you to try it out. It is nice to have someone to talk about the other thing that takes up most of my time with at the house. You both are such amazing writers and are extremely passionate about it. I hope wherever your time at The D.O. takes you is well worth the late nights and meeting write-ups.

Kyle: I can’t believe you are about to help run this place, but then again I can. You are one of THE most dedicated people I have ever met and I cannot wait to see how that helps you next semester. You went from being a nobody to one of my best friends in less than a semester and I couldn’t have done the last year without you. Thank you for always being there even when I didn’t know I needed you to be.

Hank: Jail. Ha! See I did it this time. Thank you for always being a constant for me in the house and for keeping me company in visuals on nights when I was alone. I know I can be a lot, but thank you for putting up with me and listening to my rants that I know you don’t care about. Please get some sleep now that you are done as DME and start back up that newsletter.

Emily: I would not be where I am today without you encouraging me to apply for assistant second semester my freshman year. You saw something in me that I didn’t know existed having never done real photojournalism before and I cannot thank you enough for pushing me outside my comfort zone. I am genuinely so sad that you are graduating because you are now one of my favorite people to talk about photography with. I will miss seeing you around campus and being reminded of who is responsible for allowing me to grow the way I have.

Megan, Kiley & Mary: I swear I am done for good this time. Thank you three for being supportive, listening to me rant, and dealing with me coming home at ungodly hours. I know that my involvement at the D.O. hasn’t always been the easiest thing to deal with, but I thank you for putting up with it and being supportive nonetheless.

Mom, Dad, the short one, idea genius, and the favorite: I swear y’all still have no idea what I do at school, but thank you for listening to me talk about people who have absolutely no clue who they are. Without you all letting me take pictures of you and various things in the backyard when I was in middle and high school, I wouldn’t be where I am. Hopefully the next time we are all together I will be significantly less stressed.

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Although I am the daughter of a journalism major, I never imagined myself working at a newspaper. Yet somehow I went from not taking a single assignment, to taking three a week, to becoming assistant photo editor, to leading the entire section as photo editor within four semesters. How that happened I am not 100% sure, however one thing I am positive about is that I’m glad it happened.

Currently it is 2:48am on the day that this is due and much like most other things in my life, I have procrastinated until the last minute; except this time it is because I knew this would be hard for me to write.

In the past two semesters I went from knowing almost no one in-house and never speaking, to knowing everyone and being able to be heard from anywhere in the house. The D.O. has become a part of me that I never imagined being this attached to. It is more than a paper, it is more than a house, it is my family and I would not trade my experience for the world. Thank you.

Emily: Never did I imagine when I joined your informational zoom call about joining the photo section, that I would be leading it the following spring. Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone at every step of the way. You have always encouraged me to do more than I thought I was capable of in terms of the paper, thank you for making me step out of my comfort zone. Because of you I not only became photo editor, but I was able to publish two photo essays as well. You are such a kind and passionate person who cares so deeply about everyone that you come in contact with. I cannot thank you enough for everything!

Maya and Shannon: You two were some of the first people I met in the house and I wouldn’t have wanted to share the visuals room with anyone else. You are perhaps two of the biggest girl bosses that I know. Within my two semesters in house with you, I have watched you two create beautiful papers and rise to the occasion of every challenge. You are living proof that visuals lead the paper and even though you are leaving, your legacy will live on. I can’t wait to see what you do outside of the paper, I love you both!

Siron: Siron when I met you I really started to feel like I was a part of The D.O. family. It was nice to be able to come into the house and see someone outside of visuals that I knew and had actually talked to. You never cease to be able to make me smile and I looked forward to seeing you every night I worked. I wouldn’t have wanted to cover the UU concerts with anyone else, so glad we got to go 3 for 3 this year. I can’t wait to see what you will do as DME!

Kyle: Thank you for being one of my biggest supporters at the house and always offering to help me when I seemed like I needed it. You were always able to cheer me up when I was having a bad day and I don’t know how I would have been able to make it through this semester without having you as a friend. I know you will do great things as news editor. I am so proud of you and so excited to see what you will accomplish!

Hank: I’m going to be honest, I didn’t hear your name the first time you introduced yourself to me, but don’t worry, I know it now. You have become one of my closest friends at The D.O. and one of the people I know I can always count on. Thank you for listening to my endless rants, checking in on me, and being there when I needed you. I will miss being in-house with you next semester, but I know you will be amazing as assistant sports editor!

Richard: It’s weird to think that 6 months ago I only knew you as “the british guy in news” and now I think of you as one of my best friends at the house. You are one of the most dedicated and passionate people I know and you care so much about each and every one of your staffers. I am lucky enough to say that I got to work alongside you as a fellow headed. Thank you for reminding me why I love photography and my job so much and thank you for putting up with me all semester. This paper is in good hands Mr. Chief!

Tony: First of all, I’m sorry for making you alt a story with 30 embeds. Second, thank you. Thank you for always making me laugh and giving me a run for my money in terms of volume at the house. You are such a kind and caring person and you really put your heart and soul into the paper this semester. I will miss seeing you in-house until 1am, but I know you will do great things even if you aren’t at The D.O.!

Nate: You are the man that made it happen my friend! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to publish my first written piece. I cannot thank you enough for entertaining my photo essays and seeing them through. I will miss the energetic atmosphere you add to the house and although I am sad to see you go, I know you have big things ahead of you.

Connor: Even though we screamed at each other almost every time we did selects, I don’t actually hate you. In all seriousness, you did a good job as sports editor and I am glad that I got to work alongside such a great writer and leader. Good luck wherever life outside the D.O takes you!

Max and Jaden: You two were fantastic assistants; you took almost all of the last minute assignments which took a lot of the weight off my shoulders and I cannot thank you enough for that. Max, I know you will do great things as photo editor and I can’t wait to see what you do with the section; make me proud. Thank you for everything besties!

To the News Staff: I kind of inserted myself into your crew one night and never left. Thank you for not kicking me out (which let’s be honest I’m sure you wanted to at times). Seriously, though I love all of you (even though you made me do 13 photo illos for you this semester) and I am so lucky to have been able to work with such an incredible group of writers. I can’t wait to see what each of you does

Megan and Kiley: Truthfully, I only got involved with The D.O. on the level that I did because you two joined TBS and I had fomo. I distracted myself by taking photo assignments and throwing myself into work and somehow my spur of the moment decision ended me where I am now. Thank you for always listening to my stories about people you barely know and looking at my endless stream of pictures. You two have been two of my biggest supporters and I wouldn’t have been able to make it through these last few semesters without you.

Mom: Clearly all of your stories about working at papers had some impact on me because I ended up here. Without you I never would have found The D.O. or thought twice about getting involved. Even though you couldn’t work at a paper like you wanted to, thank you for inspiring me to follow in your journalistic footsteps.

Published on April 27, 2022 at 8:00 am