Welcome back to another year at Goshen College.

For some of you, this might be your first semester at GC. For others, like me, this might be your last semester on campus.

The beginning of a new semester always reminds me that I’m really bad at savoring moments.

When I arrived at Goshen in the fall of 2016, I couldn’t help but feel like I wasted my high school years. And now, I’ve managed to make it to my final semester and it often feels as if I’ve squandered my time.

That, of course, is not entirely true. I’ve had the time of my life here at Goshen College. Throughout these past three years I’ve grown so much.

It’s been with the help of many of my professors that I’ve grown. I don’t know if I’m incredibly easy-to-read or if my professors are exceptionally perceptive, but I’ve heard the same advice from several of my professors and mentors: slow down and stay in the present.

Even with this advice, I’m still always thinking about tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. It’s as if my mind is always three steps ahead of my physical self.

I’ll admit, it’s exhausting. My natural state of being is a giant ball of anxiety.

But I’m working on it.

I find that writing articles often help me focus on the here and now. As a journalist, it’s my duty to hunker down for a few hours or days, and stitch together a summary of the day from one specific angle. In my experience, some days are filled with oddities, like escaped alligators and bears. Or celebrity sightings. Or floods.

The way I see it, a newspaper is a collection of articles that represent an entire day or week. To put together a newspaper is to linger on time. To read a newspaper is to do the same.

I hope, for our collective well-being, that we learn to savor the moments. I hope as I lead editorial meetings, edit articles and oversee the Record staff, I relish my final weeks as a student journalist.

And I hope you also embrace the Record. I hope you see the Record as a literal record of your time here at Goshen College. As executive editor, I’ll do my best to accurately portray your experience here at GC.

But I also hope you remember to embrace your time here at Goshen College. Savor the days. They slip by too fast.