During my four-year college career at Florida A&M, I have written 200 articles for our college paper, held six staff positions, won five awards, and have seen five Editors-In-Chief–each whom are friends of mine. With that said, its time to graduate. This goodbye could be massive, but I only have 550 words of space, making this my hardest article to write.
How can one sum up four years of non-stop action in a few short paragraphs? Doing that is hard especially when I’m on deadline so I’ll just answer the burning question many have been asking me. “What are you going to do after you graduate?” Simply put, I hardly know right now, but I know I will be productive and successful because since my first day at FAMU, I was on the scene writing stories.
My passion for journalism is overwhelming and could be confused with an addiction. Most would call me crazy for all I have taken on while at FAMU. I’m a full time student with two jobs and a girlfriend and still, I would be willing to do more. When I was the religion editor, I was briefly hospitalized. Doctors said I needed to slow down. I hardly have time to slow down, there’s a story afoot that I need to cover and I’m always hungry for the next big event.
I’ve practically grown up on this campus with all I have written about. From the Martin Lee Anderson case to the time when Gallop
Franklin and voters protested for a recount outside of the president’s office. Even from when FAMU was placed in a false light for an alleged pornography flick filmed inside a dorm to the time when a sign that read “white power” was taped on the brick FAMU entrance sign, I was there. I wrote those stories.
And still, with the very last issue, my name is laced throughout the pages of The Famuan. It’s always been like that and it’s going to be
like that at the next paper I write for. I’ve paid my dues, and my outstanding reputation with all of my sources shows that I truly do
have a gift. I’ve been told that I don’t give myself enough credit.
I’m doing it now and it’s deserved.
But a goodbye would not be proper if I did not mention my friends. The Famuan staff, throughout the years I have been here, are amazing.
I love them. I’ve fought with them, yelled at them and sometimes I wished I never met them, but they are family. I would like to give a special shout out to Professor and adviser to our newspaper Andrew Skerritt. Honestly, I want to be like you. The knowledge you have passed down to me will forever be cherished and I hope that one day, I will pass my passion of journalism on to students like you do everyday. Thank you.
I’ve failed classes, barely passed classes and many sacrifices have been made for my love of journalism. And finally after so many trials,
I will cross the stage April 30 at 9 a.m. My next goal is anything I want to do. I will go far. Like Nas’ second album, “It was written.”