As the months leading up to graduation have dwindled down, a lot of people have asked me if I am excited to graduate. The answer to that question has remained the same every time:

“I’m looking forward to graduating, but I’m not looking forward to leaving The Hofstra Chronicle.”

From the first day I stepped on campus, I remember hearing about The Chronicle. Then, in one of my first journalism classes, my former sports editor Kevin Carroll walked in looking for writers. I immediately scribbled my name and email down with “sports” next to it and attended my first meeting soon after.
I remember being intimidated at first when I walked into an office that was predominantly male, but I didn’t hesitate in taking my first article. That was only the beginning.

Student Center Room 203, more commonly known as “The Office,” has been my home these past three years.

The minute I attended my first game, I fell in love with the environment and I knew that this is what I was meant to be doing.

It was The Chronicle that helped me most through a very difficult freshman year. No matter how much my anxiety began to affect my ability to push through on a daily basis or how much I felt I was drowning, The Chronicle was the one place I went to that made things feel normal. It took my mind off of everything else and gave me the opportunity to escape and to breathe. I will be forever grateful for that.

I had editors who believed in me and who continued to push me to get better. PJ Potter, my other former editor, and Kevin only cemented the fact that this was my home. I remember walking into the office for a meeting about my progress a few months in where they mentioned the possibility of eventually becoming their assistant and then sports editor if I decided to apply. I jumped at the opportunity and will always be so thankful to them.

In a male-dominated industry that women have only really begun to break into in the last five years, I had the honor of being the first female sports editor for The Chronicle, and it has been a dream.

I’ve dived into stories in sports I never thought I would be writing about.

I’ve gotten to work with writers and help them get better, just as my editors helped me.

One of my best memories, though, was when I was given the opportunity to head down to South Carolina with Felipe Fontes and Chris Detwiler, my partners through all of this, to see a historic season for Hofstra men’s basketball cap off with the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Throughout the process, I’ve gained a family and support system. Whether I was simply having a bad day or near tears because I needed to write a full-page story in a short period of time, there has been an incredible group of people by my side. It is because of them that I found myself in the office till 1 a.m. most nights, despite our section being done, because they made it hard to leave.

To Felipe and Chris, thank you for such a fun year. I truly feel that we’ve allowed this section to continue to evolve into something great and admire the hard work that went into it every single week. I can’t wait to see where it continues to go in the future.

To our Editor-in-Chief Joe Fay and Managing Editor Katie Krahulik, thank you for being such great leaders. I’ve had the chance to grow closer to both of you this year and I’m so happy to call you both my friends.

To the entire Chronicle staff, thank you for creating such a motivating and inspiring environment. I am so proud of all the work we’ve done and the stories we’ve uncovered. I am so proud of the transformation this paper underwent this year, not only in terms of our layout, but also our content. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to work with you and I’m excited to see what’s in store going forward.

To the Hofstra Athletics staff, thank you being our point of communication with players and coaches. No matter what the idea, you’ve provided us with the ability to diversify our content and produce more interesting stories for our readers. Thank you to all the Hofstra coaches and players. You have given me the chance to really hone my interview skills and it was always a pleasure to talk to each and every one of you.

As this chapter closes, it is bittersweet to see another one open. I have cherished the three years I’ve gotten to spend in this organization, and they are ones that I will always look back on with a smile. It is because of The Chronicle that I am the journalist I am today and have the skills to thrive as a woman in the world of sports media.

To the little girl who has dreamed of being in the world of sports her whole life, look at yourself now. You did it.

Photo courtesy of Rob Kinnard.