Tonight is my last budget meeting as Editor-in chief for the CU Independent.

I can’t believe it.

I have been part of the CU Independent, formerly the Campus Press for seven semesters. It has been my life for the past three and a half years. I cannot put into words what I have gained from being a part of this publication as it reaches deeper than anything I have ever been involved in before.

The friends I have made, the things I have learned, the good times and the bad have truly changed my life. My experience at the CU Independent is truly unparalleled to any other experience I have had at the University of Colorado.

I have grown so much professionally and personally throughout these past four years and I owe most of that to this publication. I have learned how to communicate productively, how to lead, how to delegate, how to handle unsavory situations, how to remain calm in stressful situations, how to separate personal from professional, and so much more.

I cannot instill the passion I have for the CU Independent on anyone else, I can only hope that through my leadership and through the leadership of my peers, the remaining staff and reporters will all take advantage of this phenomenal opportunity as a tool for personal growth just as I have. I am so proud of all the hard work that took place this semester. With the name change and the new site, we definitely faced some hardships. However, we all persevered and transformed the Campus Press into the new CU Independent.

We put together a community journalism print edition, we developed the basis of an “inclusivity campaign,” we maintained the Student Diversity Advisory Board meetings, we expanded our investigative reporting skills, I could go on and on and on.

Tonight is going to be bittersweet. I am so sad to be leaving the CU Independent. I have dedicated my life to it for the past three and a half years. I can’t believe my time here is almost over. However, there are so many opportunities that lie ahead for me and for the CU Independent. I am confident that I am leaving this publication in good hands. And I know I will succeed in whatever I do in the future.

I know I have left my mark. Now I must prepare for what will come after I graduate.

I guess this is the beginning of the end of my college career.