Feature image photo by Anna Mccabe
This is an article I’ve been thinking about for years, ever since my first batch of Montclarion friends wrote theirs in 2022. I thought about where I would be in three years and what I would say at the end of all of it.
Leaving The Montclarion has been a very emotional experience for me.
This has genuinely been my home for all four years of college. I’m not kidding. I’ve been living out of the office instead of paying for on-campus housing.
For legal reasons, that is a joke.
But seriously, thinking of what I want to say in my goodbye has been on my mind for a while, and I still am struggling to put the words together to tell you all how I really feel.
The first thing that comes to my mind is: for the love of God, please take down my One Direction fan fiction that I submitted as a joke freshman year. It comes up right away when you Google my name, and I’d like to be employed someday.
But after that, all I can think about are all the amazing people who have given me some of my fondest memories and who have made my college experience an unforgettable one.
Sal DiMaggio, my partner in crime and editor-in-chief, I am so glad to have run this organization and committed voter fraud with you during our senior year. Truly, there was no one I’d rather let do all the business stuff because I don’t know how, nor do I care. You’re a great journalist and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you do if journalism is still legal in a couple of years. I highly doubt it, but knowing you, I’m sure you’ll find a way to make a difference in this world.
To my best friend, roommate, enemy, cousin (but only spiritually) and personal chef, Colin Luderitz, thank you for the bits, fun times and my indoctrination to the Philadelphia Eagles cult. I really hope there are people from The Montclarion who still think you’re married for FASFA benefits.
I’d like to take the time to thank Hannah Effinger for being my friend freshman year, even though I was really annoying and couldn’t shut up ever. I will always cherish our time together at the paper, especially our “Glee” audio TikToks. I’ll never forget our awards show hosting and getting to write silly jokes with you. Thank you for everything.
To my girls, Jordan Reed and Meagan Kane, being in The Montclarion and getting two best friends out of it has been the highlight of my year. I love you both so dearly, and I’m so glad you both are in my life.
Thank you to my former editor-in-chief and managing editor, Emma Caughlan and Jenna Sundel, for really whipping me into shape. I learned so much from you both, and I cannot thank you enough.
To everyone else I didn’t name, just know I loved you and will always cherish our time together. Especially this year, this team was one of my favorites and I had an absolute blast.
But most of all, I’d like to thank the person who’s done the most for me, which is me.
I had horrific social anxiety my whole life, to the point where if I did anything that would get me noticed by a single person, I would genuinely panic. Even though I had crippling anxiety, I still dreamed of being a writer and sharing my work with the world.
I saw The Montclarion table at a club fair and signed up, but didn’t think I’d ever get the courage to ever write something that would be published publicly. And look at me now, begging you guys to take down the One Direction fan fiction that I jokingly had published.
While this sounds like a joke, it’s not. Genuinely, I would have never dreamed of doing something like that and especially so carefree. You can tell my anxiety was completely diminished by the fact that I didn’t even contemplate that my One Direction fan fiction would be available for possible employers to see.
The Montclarion finally gave me the voice I always needed to finally be able to be myself and put myself out there. Without The Montclarion, I’d doubt I’d survive a screenwriting class where our scripts are read out loud. The old me would’ve never even taken the class to begin with. The new me now gets excited to share my work with my peers.
So yes, I’d like to thank myself for actually doing something out of my comfort zone for once and it completely changed the trajectory of my life. And I think every single person who’s ever written for The Montclarion should thank themselves, too. It’s not easy putting your work out into the world. But because you took a risk and stuck with it, you are all now on your way to being accomplished writers and journalists.
To The Montclarion, my home for the last four years, I will miss you with all my heart. Thank you, everyone, for making my student loan debt worth it.
And to Montclair State, I will never forgive you for taking the Blanton Chili’s away from me.
