By Justin Kozloski, Senior Staff ||
As I end my term as Editor in Chief of The College Reporter, I notice that it is a bitter-sweet experience. On the one hand, I will have a lot more time to dedicate to my last batch of classes and to find a job for after college, but, on the other hand, I am saying goodbye to something that has been an integral part of my college experience.
I joined the Reporter before I was even part of the freshman class by participating in the organization’s pre-orientation program, and I have been heavily involved ever since, rising to the head position of the publication.
Over these four years, the staff of the paper has become like a second family to me, and many of my best friends at the College have come from participation with the paper. Not only has it allowed for social growth, but the skill and connections I have made are proving integral in my search for careers once this semester comes to an end.
Luckily for me, I have the comfort of leaving the paper in the hands of two people that I trust have the best interests of the paper in heart and are more than capable of doing even more for the paper than Sloane and I did during our time at the helm. I look forward to reading the publication next year, wherever that may take me.
However, the process of stepping away from an organization that has been so vital to my College experience has also done a lot to show me what to expect in the world outside of F&M and to accept that things can never remain the same for very long.
Many of the people I talk to about graduation treat it as though it is the end of the world, and, to be fair, it sort of is in that it’s the end to the world we know. However, this is not the reaction I think is best suited for this time of change.
Yes, it is true that no longer will it be acceptable to binge-drink for five out of the seven days of the week, and, yes, the days of sleeping until 3 p.m. and doing homework until the sun comes up are over, but that doesn’t translate to an end of time and space itself. We have all already gone through this transition before when we went from high school to college, and, while the prospects of careers and/or grad school seem far more daunting than the college application, in principle these things are the same.
Leaving the Reporter has shown me that not only is change imminent but necessary for growth, and I encourage all seniors to embrace this change heartily and with excitement instead of dread. Enjoy the last few weeks of College life and never say no to a good time out with friends because it will be a lot harder in the future. But, at the same time, look forward to the future and all the awesome things that are to come — even if parting from college life is not 100 percent pleasant.
Justin Kozloski, a senior joint English-business major, is the former Editor in Chief. Email him at jkozlosk@fandm.edu.