What a ride it has been.

It’s hard to believe that my four years at Goshen are already up and life without class, practice or The Record is just one week away.

If you know me, you know that like most Iowans, I have a weirdly close connection with the state. But as much as I don’t like to admit it, Goshen has become my home the last four years.

And I have so many people to thank for the influential experiences that I’ve had here.

My friends, professors, volleyball teammates but especially all the Record staff editors over the years.

From my first women’s volleyball recap in the fall semester of my sophomore year to this, my final editorial as co-executive editor, I’ve written a total of 61 articles for The Record.

With articles ranging from sports recaps and features to administration and COVID-19 coverage, I feel like I’ve been able to maximize the breadth of my experience.

Not only has it made me a better writer, but it opened my eyes to the importance of journalism, especially on college campuses. The sacrifices staff members make, without pay, shows just how important this paper is not only to them, but to the campus community.

Over my few years with the paper, I’ve heard plenty of praises for the work that students like myself do. However, I’ve also heard my share of criticisms of staff and coverage overall.

Criticism is a vital part of journalism, but it was hard to take these critiques targeted towards editors and the publication as constructive. Their remarks came off as insensitive, discrediting the writers and oversimplifying the difficulties that come with reporting on a small campus.

With that being said, I wanted to mention all nine members of this semesters amazing editorial staff including my co-executive editor Zachariah Begly, Sierra Ross Richer, Greta Lapp Klassen, Graysen Cockerham, William Troyer, Anna Osborne, Caleb Gingerich, Dante Stanton and Gussie Nafziger.

My experience at GC has played out wildly different than what I expected my senior year of high school, but there’s little that I would change if I could.

So here’s to another unknown chapter full of surprises, but without the best college newspaper.