When I signed up for newspaper for my junior year of school, I was coming in with blazing aspirations and a hope to rekindle my appreciation for journalism. After being involved with the school yearbook from seventh grade through my freshman year, I was burned out and lost the spark I once had for storytelling. Coming in on the first day of my junior year and seeing the people in the class and Mrs. Tenbusch, I immediately knew that I made the right choice joining the class. Mrs. Tenbusch and the previous editor-in-chief, Anna, were the biggest mentors I had that year, and they taught me everything I needed to know in order to be chosen as one of the editor-in-chiefs for the following year. Over the summer, I attended the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association camp to study leadership, which was held at MSU. I went with Arden Prieskorn and Cici Copenhaver, both of whom made the camp such an enjoyable, memorable experience. I will never forget the scooters, Dairy Store ice cream or the strawberry shortcake that we still talk about to this day. 

  As the school year started, Cici and Arden were there with me day in and day out, working just as hard as I did to complete deadlines and make the print and web publications amazing. I truly could not have completed this year without the help of my fellow editor-in-chief, Kendall, as well as Cici, Arden, Brynn Turnquist and Mrs. Tenbusch. I appreciate all of the staff who worked hard and dedicated their time to creating stories to publish, and especially Mrs. Tenbusch, who pulled off the long nights alongside myself and the page designers. Being a part of a publication isn’t easy, let alone being one of the co-editor-in-chiefs, and by having an amazing support system like I did, it made the experience flow smoothly and created memories I will never forget. I also could not have done my position without the help of my parents and family, who supported me through the long nights where I wasn’t home until late and always looked forward to seeing what the month brought with the publication. 

  I am excited to announce that I will be continuing my education at the University of Michigan in the fall, studying economics. From there, I hope to join the Michigan Daily and continue to write stories that will fuel my journalistic passion and teach me the multiple skills that come along with participating in a publication. I have no doubt that I am leaving behind an amazing staff who will continue to make our publication shine, and Mrs. Tenbusch is such a dedicated, amazing person and supervisor, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be her student and work with her on The Occidentalist.