My overall transition to college was rough — I changed my major three times freshman year, I was doing too much, I wasn’t doing enough — but being swept into the most chaotic job I’ve ever had mid-spring 2017 was the best thing that happened to me. The D.O. gave me stability and reminded me of the work I want to do for the rest of my life. These people helped me get to where I am today:

Justin: When I was a first-semester freshman on lockdown in the Dome during marching band practice, your live Twitter coverage of the Hope Avenue shooting was what gave me peace of mind during my first on-campus emergency. I didn’t know it at the time, but you set the foundation for my five-semester tenure at the D.O. Go team.

Torrens: Thanks for engaging in that feminist discourse with me.

Diaz: Thank you for your sage advice in the newsroom and out — I miss all of the sunflower emojis.

Sara: Though I even now own a t-shirt that says it, you will always be the true “D.O. Grandma.”

McCleary.: Thanks for keeping the couch warm.

Mackenzie: Your energy can only be outpaced by your hard work (and you are still the only FYPerson I like.)

Kaci: You’re my favorite wine mom and I’ll miss your quick wit. Thanks for breathing life into the sports graphics.

Diana R.: You are a riot and a half and you have found some incredible stories this semester. Keep doing your thing, girl — I’ll learn how to high five someday.

Dabbundo: Thank you for teaching Molly and me everything we know about brackets even though ours tanked horribly in the end.

KJ: There’s no other SportsBoi I would rather talk to about women’s and gender studies. Be extra nice to Visuals next year or I will haunt you.

Jordan: I’m glad I convinced you to get one more scribble in the paper. You’re a hard-working guy with a level head, and your reporting is thorough and persistent. Thanks for all those times we workshopped front page designs together — you let me know you really cared about visuals.

Tyler: Who knew our journey together would take us from Fun Runs in the Dome to a service sorority to Orlando to a newspaper in a creaky old house? I’ve known you longer than anyone else in house and I’m glad we got to spend three years growing and meme-ing together, and that you found a way into the 115-year history of the D.O. I am so proud of you.

Andy: I’m going to miss your wicked quick wit and absolutely dunking on our Whitman class with you.

Kateri: Thanks for being my go-to-gal to complain about capstone with. I’m so glad we got to work this amazing job together.

Sarah A.: Thank you for lending your talents and hard work over and over again. The paper has never looked so beautiful.

Kelsey: Thanks for reassuring me that our Com Law class is actually just like that, but thanks also for filling edit boards and Pulp stories with such thoughtful words and feeling.

Josh: ORLANDO — next time we cross paths there, let’s sit poolside again (but maybe not in khakis.)

Lydia: You really did turn Pulp on its head in the best way possible. You’re a fantastic leader and have such a warm heart.

Anna H.: Hey ‘Nade Squad — thank you for the aforementioned “D.O. Grandma” t-shirt. It’s been an absolute privilege watching you grow as a designer these last couple of years.

Catherine: I missed you popping into Visuals so much this semester, but I can’t wait to watch from afar as you take MGMT by storm.

Haley: Thank you for making Pulp such a bubbly and bright space this semester. You are going to do incredible things as EIC next year.

Jenna, Diana D., Camryn, Sarah R., Amy & Blessing: You all made my time as PD so memorable by being such dynamite gals. I learned so much from working with all of you and I hope that you’re proud of all of the amazing papers you helped produce. Thank you also for shouting inane things with me every night. The mood is: the paper is nothing without its designers.

Dan: I can’t wait to keep an eye on the work you do from afar next year. You’re such a genuine, warm person and you have the best taste in music in the house, full stop.

Maeve: Thank you for not only being an incredible Digital Queen but also an amazing roommate and an even better friend. Your energy is contagious — you light up every room you walk into and put everything you have into everything you do. Thank you for all of the laughs, for the impromptu breakfasts and stir fries, for revitalizing our Instagram, for putting up with my 3 a.m. showers and supplying our Mayfest activities. 808 (Le Chateau Gelb) will forever be OUR home.

Emma C.: You are one of the smartest, most determined and hardest working people I’ve ever met, but I also always know who to call when there’s an atrocious design to dunk on. Your designs are so incredibly thoughtful and detailed, and I admire and look up to your work ethic and stunning fashion sense.

Lucy: I never would have considered a job at the D.O. had you not asked me to become a design editor. Thank you for picking me out of the sophomore designer crowd and encouraging me into the best job I’ve ever had. Your work has such beautiful personality and you have been not only a fantastic co-worker but a wonderful friend.

Ali: Hey ma’am — I was so nervous my first few nights of being PD, but your confidence and guidance helped me push myself to be more outgoing and assured in not only my designs, but my leadership and place on the staff. You are truly a beam of sunshine and I will never forget our many late nights on the MGMT couch or in the McDonalds drive-thru. You calling me Bridg has also stuck around, and I don’t think a lot of people could ever use my full name again.

Molly: Thank you for constantly hauling our asses down to Five Guys in your giant truck. I know for a fact you had the most difficult managerial job outside of MGMT, and you handled it with maturity every single night. I could not have imagined sitting in visuals with anyone else for an entire year. You’re an incredible advocate for photographers and women, and have done great things for the visuals department. Never be afraid to speak up for what you believe in, especially when you know that you know more. I’ll miss listening to grooves, bops, jams and bangers with you.

Kennedy: There are very few people that I am comfortable being my absolute raw self around, but I feel completely free when I’m with you (I mean, we’re basically the same person.) You are the baddest bitch I know and your leadership this semester has blown me away. You’re witty, you’re sharp and you’re a damn good reporter but above all you’re considerate and kind, which I’m reminded of every time you send me a design-related job opening. Our nights side-by-side in news were full of cackling, and so were our nights together as head eds (thank GOD you have the exact same humor I do). Working alongside you and calling you my friend these past couple of years has been an absolute trip, and I will treasure our relationship for years to come. And then when we’re long-graduated alumni buying cheap beer for the staff of 2038 or something, we can cackle together again in the basement of the D.O.’s new home.

Talia: My sweet design daughter, I cannot believe the ~growth~ I’ve seen in you these past two years. Your approach to your work is grounded in incredible focus, thoughtfulness and feeling, and I believe you encompass everything that a true designer should be. It’s so difficult to be an open, humble person, and that is something that we struggle with together, but you handle every situation with grace and poise that few sophomores, let alone adults, could ever hope to carry. Thank you for letting me show you endless drafts of my business cards; thank you for hearing my elaborate metaphors about patriarchal penetration; thank you for hollering about typefaces with me; thank you for sharing in the Catholic guilt; thank you for engaging with The Self with me; thank you for being one of my very best friends. You are going to shine as PD, and at whatever else you may pursue in your life — and whatever you may do, always remember to advocate for yourself.

Aishwarya: Remember when we figured out about halfway through the semester that not a week had passed without some kind of monumental issue to deal with? That trend definitely kept itself up for the remaining half of the semester, but you are the most graceful, poised and warm person I’ve had the privilege to work with, and every time something idiotic or tragic or kind of mysterious happened, working through options with you always made me feel better. You’ve set an incredible precedent for not only future MGMT teams, but entire D.O. staffs with your nose to the grindstone attitude, hosting the diversity workshops and fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment. All those times we worked on capstone together with The Office on in the background made getting through senior year that much easier. I commend you for putting up with Sam’s and my shenanigans for so long, and for documenting them all along the way. Thank you for laughing at practically everything I ever said, for being mindful when I went a night without sleep, for indulging Sam’s and my idiotic bits and for staying up late with us, for the bubble tea, ordering me plain rice without question, and for companionable silence after all those 12-hour days. I called you an angel when you walked me home from Race last fall, and I meant it (and Dakota proved it when she took an immediate liking to you.) I’m so thankful to be graduating with you, and we’re gonna f*ck it up as alumni.

Sam: Becoming PD was a daunting and frankly terrifying process. Having you by my side every night for the last year, putting together paper after paper until 107 dailies, guides and inserts were printed, made it so much easier. It’s not surprising to me that the kid who used to walk miles and miles for a coverage was able to manage a small business and become a bona fide House Hunter — you’re incredibly level-headed, persistent, passionate and determined, yet you are so humble and open that you never felt unapproachable as a leader. For what it’s worth, I’m unbelievably proud of you. I’m thankful our brains operated on the same wavelength for bullsh*t-spotting, and that we could communicate with a few eye squints and a “hm” or two, and I’m especially thankful you laughed at all of my terrible jokes. Above all, thank you for making me feel like an equal whenever I sat on the MGMT couch. I’ll never forget the trips to Applebee’s, the karaoke sessions on long car rides, your being honest when a design worked (or didn’t), the late nights, the LATE nights, searching through hundreds of old papers, the movie marathons, the ICEs, the complaining, the laughing, the stress, laying on the floor (sober and not-so-sober), absolutely checking out during COM law, and walking around in blankets like wizards. As exhausting as this year was, it was fulfilling and remarkable as hell, and I would do it all again with you. Never forget that a lot of people care about you.

Emily D.: Four years of living together has set the foundation for what I know will be a lifetime of friendship. I have not even considered how saying goodbye will go for us this time around if how much we cried after our freshman year is any indication. You inspire me every day and are the only person I could imagine waking up at 6 a.m. to find me still doing capstone work in the dining room after another late night of production. Even though we can go a week without seeing each other despite living in the same apartment, the time we do spend together is incredibly important to me. Also: thank you so much for letting 808 host all of those late-night D.O. movie viewings, pre-games and gossip nights. Give Dakota and Kenzie extra love from me wherever the three of you may go — I will miss you all so, so much.

Mom, Dad, Jimmy & Kelly: Thank you for letting me do my thing way out here in Syracuse. I love you!

Published on April 29, 2019 at 5:00 am