As my time at Marshall is slowly dwindling down to a close, it’s given me a chance to look back, reflect and appreciate everything I have been able to achieve throughout my time in Huntington.

The past four years have taught me a lot about myself. I came to Marshall in the summer of 2015 and, honestly, had no idea what I wanted to do or whether this was the right school for me. Fast-forward four years and it’s easy for me to see I’ve turned a passion into a future career path and made a decision that will have a positive impact on me for the rest of my life.

I never intended to have any role with The Parthenon when I got to Marshall. When I first arrived in Huntington, I quickly became involved inside the sports information department with Marshall Athletics, picking up women’s tennis as my primary sport to cover. I realized early in my freshman year that being a sports information director was what I wanted to do with my career and nothing was going to change that perception. Four years later, that goal still remains the same.

It wasn’t until the middle of my junior year when I was approached during a copy editing class by Sandy York, the faculty adviser for The Parthenon, about potentially applying to be a sports editor. I was skeptical at first. After all, I had no experience writing or editing for a newspaper but I decided to take a chance and apply. One NCAA Tournament (with the first tournament win in school history included), one Conference USA Basketball Tournament, a Gasparilla Bowl, eight regular season football games, a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Championship, two full seasons of spring sports and a full season of fall sports later, it’s safe to say I’m glad I took this opportunity.

Trying to balance my roles within the athletic department and The Parthenon created a challenge but it taught me the importance of time management and responsibility. I had to quickly figure out how to balance a group of reporters and game coverage for a print publication while also fulfilling my daily sports information duties at the same time. It taught me to delegate coverage, something that was uncharted territory for me. There have been difficult times and tough decisions I’ve had to make during these times but in the end, it’s made me better both in my job and as a person.

Though I have only spent my final three semesters on campus with The Parthenon, those three semesters have been the most rewarding for me at Marshall. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside multiple editors who have allowed me to improve my skills while also challenging me to get better every day. I have also had a talented group of reporters each semester I’ve been at the Parthenon to cover games, write features and make sure there are stories available for each print edition, and I couldn’t do this job without them.

The two editors I’ve worked alongside with The Parthenon’s sports team, Rick Farlow and Sydney Shelton, have made my job an enjoyable experience and one that I will never forget. 

Rick and I complemented each other well and, as a team, we expanded The Parthenon’s sports coverage past the general game recap. Working alongside Rick made me a better writer, a better editor and a better leader, all traits that will help me in the future. 

Sydney has made this semester less stressful for me as the sports editor and has been a major asset in the day-to-day communications with the reporters. She has come up with ideas on the fly and has stepped in when I’ve been unable to design my pages, taking everything in stride and handling all the responsibilities with ease, and I can’t be more thankful for that.

My time at Marshall has taught me numerous lessons. I’ve taken risks and aimed for the highest attainable results. Not everything has panned out the way I necessarily wanted it to, and that’s okay because it taught me to be resilient and respond to my failures and by continuing to challenge myself. My time here has taken me to extreme highs and resounding lows but it’s taught me that how I respond to everything makes just as much of an impact. I’ve learned to write for print, public relations and broadcast, something that not everyone learns, even in the journalism school.

I’m thankful for everything this school has done for me. I’ve had opportunities that most students don’t have, I’ve covered championships, voted for All-America teams in both college football and basketball and advanced my career goals, all in a span of four years at Marshall.

These may be my last few days as an undergraduate, but Marshall and Huntington will always be a second home for me. This place has prepared me for bigger and better prospers in life.

Thank you, Herd nation. It’s been a fun ride and I wouldn’t trade anything for these last four years.

Kieran Intemann can be contacted at [email protected].