I have always hated farewells.
More specifically, I have always hated the change that is almost guaranteed to follow.
My time at The Parthenon has been the source of some of my fondest memories here at Marshall, and I hate that I now have to say goodbye.
Coming into college, I was terrified. I had almost nobody I knew attending the school, so I was basically alone in a new environment when I already did not do well with those.
I joined my sorority that semester, and while I still consider that one of my better decisions I made in college, I consider joining The Parthenon my best.
I was the only sister in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, so I had no one to push me academically who truly knew the courses I was in and the experiences I was going through. The Parthenon gave me that.
As a public relations major, I had no reason to join The Parthenon. However, one requirement I had was JMC 300, Reporting and News Writing. That semester, The Parthenon’s advisor, Charlie Bowen, helped foster my passion for journalism.
I added a journalism minor by the end of the class, and the next semester, I took JMC 301, Beat Reporting, where I became a student reporter. I continued to fall in love with journalism, and, eventually, I decided to join the staff officially.
This newspaper opened the door to so many opportunities for me. I discovered more of where I wanted to focus my career of social media management, and I have been able to help tell so many stories of people.
Most importantly, I have made a multitude of connections here that have made me not only a better journalist, but a better person.
Sarah, you continuously push me to be better, and I could not be more grateful. You are preparing to do great things, and I cannot wait to watch you on my TV one day delivering breaking news to the country. Meeting you at our first kickball game where we proceeded to win the game for the team (because we made up the exact amount of players required to make a team) is a memory of college I will cherish, and I am glad you are in it. I’ll always be cheering you on (in life and in kickball)!
Baylee, you are so multi-talented! You truly can do it all, and I admire that about you so much. You have done an amazing job as news editor this semester, and I am so excited to see what you do with this paper next. The conversations we have are some of my favorites, so I am glad that we both ended up here at the same time to have them!
Kaitlyn, I am so proud of you. You are not only a great journalist, but an amazing PR professional too. You have so much talent in our field, and I am so glad I get to call you my friend! You have an amazingly bright future, and I am ready to watch it with popcorn and a pompom.
Scott, you are truly the backbone of this paper. Without you, we would be in absolute shambles wondering if we can use ellipses (the answer is no to my disappointment). I know that if you do even half as good in your future as you do as our copy editor, your patients will be in great hands.
Wade, I could not have asked for a better successor as the photo & graphics editor than you. You have so much talent and passion for photography, and I am so proud of you and what you have done this semester.
To our reporters, you all have so much talent in you, and I have loved working alongside you all. You will all do great things, I just know it.
To my fellow Parthenon (almost) has-beens: Joe, Evan and Raf, I am so excited to see where life takes you. All three of you have such bright futures, and I am so glad our paths have been able to cross.
Sandy and Charlie, thank you both for helping guide me as a journalist. Charlie, you are why I am a journalist, but you both are why I am actually good at what I do. So truly, thank you for all that you have helped me achieve.
This semester, I have been writing a few columns of doing things I have never done before. At the end of each edition, I sign off with “Vita Frui, Vita Vivet.” This roughly translates from Latin to “Live life and enjoy life.”
This is a sentiment I hope you all continue to think about. Live life to the fullest and do what you love. Being a part of The Parthenon has allowed me to do this, and I hope you all feel similarly.
In life, I believe that every moment and every interaction we have changes who we are as people. Every person I have met and every action I have ever taken has led me to where I am today.
I could not imagine anywhere else I would rather be right now. So, even though I am terrified of what comes next, thank you. Thank you for impacting my life in a way that has led me to be where I am today because I think my life is pretty good right now.
Abigail Cutlip can be contacted at [email protected].
