This is it.

After six semesters of dedication to The Record, I am leaving this student newspaper behind as I prepare to enter into a new chapter of life.

You may think I’m exaggerating, but I’ve spent endless hours in our newsroom, the Hub. Every Wednesday this semester, I spent at least 10 hours editing, writing, re-editing, designing and perfecting The Record. And before I was executive editor, I worked as the digital editor, associate editor, news editor, perspectives editor and as a staff writer. When I write endless hours, I mean endless hours.

My most formative experiences at Goshen College can be contributed to this student newspaper. I learned how to write. I learned how to report. I learned how to manage people. I learned how to take criticism.

And those experiences were fun, but they were also hard. Being a student journalist is hard work.

I don’t think many realize how much time and effort The Record staff puts into creating a newspaper for this community, simply because we believe in the power of a free press.

Every Wednesday, we gather in the Hub and we try our hardest to create content that engages and informs our community.

We worked to create higher standards for ourselves and for The Record.

And I think we did a great job this semester. We reported on the drops in enrollment, shifts in administration, protests and hate speech. We wrote profiles on authors, cooks and custodians. We celebrated our sports teams. We previewed the work of artists.

The Record staff worked together to set a new, higher precedent for the student newspaper.

Each member of the leadership staff invested so much time and energy into creating 10 excellent issues this semester: Dillon Hershey, Nick Yutzy, Gabe Miller, Megan Bower, Emily Cummings, Rachael Klink, Olivia Smucker, Mackenzie Miller and Nathan Pauls.

If you see any of these student journalists around campus, thank them. They sacrificed their free time to supply you with excellent articles, photos and designs. And they did so without complaining and often in exchange for nothing.

Without these students, The Record would cease to exist. Or, at least, it wouldn’t be nearly as good. I am truly grateful for this semester’s staff.

I also have to thank Duane Stoltzfus, The Record’s advisor, who continues to encourage our staff to be better journalists. Duane has been a large support for me and many students.

And thank you to our loyal readers. Without you, The Record wouldn’t have a purpose.