My friend and former assistant, Cameron, called me yesterday with exciting news. He told me that he got hired on full-time at his “travelling job” that he’s had for a while during school. What’s even more special about this, is that Cam has been “following in my footsteps” for a while now – he was my Entertainment reporter when I was Entertainment Editor at the CU Independent; when I was Managing Editor, he was Entertainment Editor; when I was Chief, he was Managing Editor. We’ve been working extremely close – until, of course, I moved to San Francisco. He brought to my attention that the people involved in the CU Independent that have had the most success in finding jobs after college graduation are the people that have been involved in the Entertainment Section.

I do miss certain aspects of working for the CU Independent. What is a little scary is thinking that there have only been a handful of graduating seniors from the journalism school who have been successful in getting a job out of college. What does that say about journalism?

When I first started attending CU, I knew that I wanted to major in journalism. I got involved in what was then the Campus Press right off the bat. I was a wet-behind-the-ears reporter and loved (almost) every second of it. I found my niche in entertainment and decided I wanted to move up the chain of command. I loved editing even more than reporting, however I never lost my yearning for knowledge or my curiosity.

During my involvement with the newspaper, it went through a significant name change and transformed from a print and online publication to being solely online. As Editor-in-Chief, I had to integrate a whole new environment into the mix: the social space.

Also during my reign as Chief, the beloved Rocky Mountain News, a publication that had been around for nearly 150 years, closed.

Needless to say, the closing of the Rocky was very nerve-racking for many graduating seniors. Many people thought/think that journalism is a dying industry. That people will eventually stop reading newspapers all together. That all newspapers will eventually close down and the entire industry will collapse.

I disagree.

Journalism will never die. Even though I am not directly associated with a specifically journalistic entity, I still write like a journalist, I still fact-check like a journalist, I still interview like a journalist, I still am a journalist.

Journalism isn’t dying, it’s changing.

I completely agree with the people that say “why would anyone want to read yesterday’s news in the paper when they can get last minute’s news right here on their iPhone?” While I, personally, still cherish the touch and feel of a real printed newspaper, I do think they are quickly going out of style. However, journalism isn’t about printed papers. It’s about relaying facts, opinions, stories to the mass public so they are informed. Much like many other old industries – like Advertising, Marketing, PR, etc. – they have to adapt and move with the times. Journalism now has an unlimited of venues for information, through Twitter, Facebook, blogs, readers, feeds, the list could go on forever. The Internet provides journalists with ample opportunities to be read. Journalists can utilize links, images, videos and so much more that the web has to offer.

However, does a declining newspaper industry weaken the overall quality of today’s journalism, or can journalism thrive without traditional papers?

Without a newspaper “going to print” every night, I find that some journalists are slightly more careless with the publishing of their stories thinking, “Oh, if something’s wrong, I can just go back and update it real quick.” That shouldn’t be the mentality. Journalists should take pride in their work and treat it with the same journalistic integrity they would if their article was being printed in ink, on paper. Because, in reality, it could be.

According to a testimony by Ben Scott, Policy Director of the Free Press, there are three problems journalism is facing at this time.

1. The collapse of some fairly large daily newspapers.
2. The shift of audiences to the Internet, which brings a decline in circulation and advertising revenue.
3. The increased ease of access to competing sources of news and information that are freely available and often higher quality.

Scott addresses that the close of the Rocky Mountain News and other large metro daily newspapers is largely because of the Internet.

Scott and I are on the same page in thinking that it’s not all dark and that the blogosphere is exploding with journalistic production and new opportunities are constantly appearing.

“The decline of print newspapers doesn’t mean the decline of journalism.”

Scott says that the biggest problem we face is not the decline in newspapers, it’s the possibility that this industry “failure” will result in the dissipation of tens of thousands of highly trained, experienced reporters and deter tens of thousands of talented students from going to journalism school.

For the future of journalism to succeed, we need to create and sustain a model of news production where it’s possible to earn a living writing the news. The Internet presents us with that challenge. Technology is reformatting the way we all view journalism. It’s not killing it; it’s rebuilding.

“Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism.” - NYU professor, Clay Shirky

There are no easy answers to these problems. There’s no right or wrong way to view this apparent change. Now is our opportunity to experiment, test out theories and come up with new, creative models for Journalism to succeed.

What do you think?

You can read all of Ben Scott’s testimony here.

I went to Borders yesterday to use a coupon. I love bookstores. In fact, I could spend days in a bookstore. I love the way they smell, the sounds, the fact that I’m surrounded by so much more than just, me. Anyway, I digress. I walked into Borders and on the very first table (yeah, I’m one of those people that stop at each table and peruse the “recommended readings” and wonder to myself if they really are all they’re cracked up to be) is a book that’s entire cover is filled with text. Intrigued, I picked it up and read the cover.

I’m sorry, I lost interest in your message after the first paragraph and couldn’t be bothered to finish it. No doubt it was very clever and devastating and if it makes you feel good, please consider me abashed or chagrined or whatever it was you intended me to feel after reading your brilliant, scintillating words. In the meantime, allow me to congratulate you on your decision not to breed, as clearly a person of your qualities represents a full stop on the genetic paragraph; the evolution of your line need go no further.

Your Hate Mail Will be Graded - John Scalzi

A little disclaimer: First of all, this is sarcasm and I know that. No, I did not read the entire book. Heck, I didn’t even read the back cover. But if you’ve been around these parts for a while now, you know that I gain meaning from just about anything.

These words got me thinking. I have been a writer since the fifth grade. I love to write. As social media slowly overtook the world, I began to use my blog to cultivate my writing. I have since then expanded my reach and also have allowed myself to be affected by other’s blogs. I read blogs to learn, get ideas, laugh and so much more. I can’t even explain in words how much I gain from reading blogs every day. But the words of Scalzi worry me. Albeit sarcasm, there is truth in joking and these words make me wonder about whether my words on my little blog are “brilliant” and “scintillating.” Whether I am, in fact, making an impact on my readers like the blogs I follow are to me. It makes me think about writing in general and how the Internet has changed writing over the past couple years.

For example, when I was a freshman in college (2005) I joined what was then the Campus Press. I was a wet-behind-the-ears reporter ready to go out there and make a difference in the world with my writing. I would write drafts and drafts and drafts of my pieces before submitting them to my editor who would then make edits and I’d write even more drafts of the same piece. I would perfect my writing before anyone (other than my editor, and sometimes a parent) would see it.

Now, with the Internet being the prevailing entity of communication, I feel writing gets pushed to the wayside. I fire off emails without using spell check. I tweet 140 characters with, sometimes, mortifying spelling errors. I publish blog posts with grammar errors and fragmented sentences (which I swear is a stylistic choice). We all do. Now. But I go back and change every single one. I go back and change every error (that I’m aware of), I correct myself when I’m wrong, I don’t publish half-assed blog posts, I put thought into what I write. I’ve always been taught to think before I speak. I treat writing the same way. Especially with the Internet – it’s permanent no matter how badly we want to believe it’s not. Everything we publish is out there. Forever. That’s the beauty of it.

The Internet has been filled with so much spam and nonsense and I think that a lot of people don’t take the time to weed through the sludge to find the real gems. And that’s unfortunate. There are a lot of people out there, just like me, who still take pride in their writing. I have been blessed to meet, virtually and in real life, some of these fabulous writers that don’t fall into the stereotype of “nonsense-bloggers.” That still value the art of words. That write to provide something for everyone. That are out there to affect and change people’s lives – one letter at a time.

As the New Year approaches, it seems as though it’s a theme in the blogosphere to be writing about their New Year resolutions. Yes… I want to join a gym, lose 20 pounds, be a better person, blah blah blah. But let’s be real here for a second.

My 2009 was a whirlwind. To say the least.

I turned 22, which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I suddenly wasn’t 21 anymore. I wasn’t “just able to drink” anymore. It was really the first Birthday that I felt older. Don’t laugh. I know I’m young and I have the whole world ahead of me, but it was an interesting feeling.

My second semester senior year (spring of 2009) I became the Editor-in-chief of the CU Newspaper. This was such an incredible experience and literally shaped my knowledge as I graduated in May. I learned so much about journalism, teaching, leadership, friendship, motivation, inspiration, dedication, some other “tions” that I don’t even know yet, and most of all, it helped me learn about myself and the kind of person and work ethic I have developed over the years.

I graduated college. It’s weird to say, but I knew I was going to graduate when I started my freshman year at CU. But, it was amazing and somewhat surprising that graduation day had actually arrived. I did it. I studied hard and graduated from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at CU. You can see a collection of memories throughout my college career here.

My brother graduated from high school. This amazes me. Not because I didn’t think he could do it, but because my little (younger – since he’s technically bigger than me) was going to be a college student. He was going to take my place as a CU Buffalo. And I know college boys…I wasn’t ready for him to be one of those.

I got a job two months after I graduated college. Despite most everyone’s pessimism when it came to me applying for jobs, I landed not one, but two jobs. One of which happened to be my dream job that I took without a second thought. I did it. I created my reality and began the journey to make my dreams come true.

I moved to San Francisco. After accepting my dream job at Context Optional, I had two weeks to pack my stuff, find a place to live in San Francisco, sign a lease, get keys, and move all of my belongings over 1200 miles away from where I grew up. As you know, this move was the biggest change in my life. Ever. You can read about it: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

I was the Maid of Honor at my best friend’s wedding. Holy hell was that weird. I never thought I would be old enough when marriage was actually acceptable and not deemed “inappropriate.” Being the Maid of Honor require a lot of work – from planning a Bachellorette Party to giving wedding toasts, it was definitely an incredible experience. And I couldn’t be happier for my best friend in the world.

My mom sold our childhood house. This was especially challenging for me as I was in San Francisco and was unable to give my house a proper goodbye. There were so many memories made within the walls of that house that it was hard to let it go. But, in the end, it was the best decision for my mom and that’s what matters.

I went on my first business trip. This was an incredible learning experience for me. Whilst working primarily within the social sphere, I feared I had lost my ability to interact face-to-face. This business trip taught me how to listen, consider and respond while in the midst of a fast paced work environment. I have fine-tuned my brainstorming skills and ability to convey ideas in person and would encourage any of you other “social nerds” to get out there and do the same.

I travelled out of the country to Jamaica. After my first six months in the working world, and after picking up my whole life and moving to a city where I knew no one, it was definitely nice to get away to paradise for a week.

As you can see, whirlwind doesn’t even begin to describe the year I’ve had. But it’s been amazing. I’ve accomplished some of my biggest goals and when I sit down and think about 2010 and what the future holds for me, I can’t help but smile and think, “I don’t know how 2010 can be any better than 2009.”

I was inspired to write this post by Kaci, who was inspired by Doniree. Oh, the circle of blogging. (And I copied some of Kaci’s… turns out we have quite a bit in common).

Anyway, here goes.

What do I do?

As a profession, I work for a social marketing company in San Francisco. But, that does not define me. Do I love spending hours of each day coming up with master plans on how fortune 500 companies should use the social space as their number one marketing tool? Yes. Do I love the people I work with and the experience I’m getting? Absolutely. But that’s not all.

I write. But you already know that. I write because it calms me. It soothes me. It’s a way for me to communicate things I wouldn’t otherwise (so eloquently) communicate. I write because I can. I write because more times than not, it’s easier for me to sort through my thoughts on paper.

I take pictures. While this is a new hobby, I am sad I did not discover it sooner. The ability to capture a single moment in time and be able to save it forever is incredible to me. Everything is can be art. Looking through my lens has opened my eyes to a completely different way of seeing.

I love. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my cat, I love myself.

I feel. I’ve tried to stop, but I can’t. When I feel, I really feel. I feel deeply. There’s no stopping it, there’s no slowing it down. I can’t help it. I feel. And it gets me into trouble. But, in the end, feeling is way better than not.

I miss my family and my friends. Moving to San Francisco was the best decision I have ever made. I have met some amazing people and completely started my life over. But I do miss my family. I miss coming home to do my laundry (not just because of the laundry). I miss being able to meet up and have lunch with my parents. I miss only being a 35 minute drive away. I miss my friends – girls’ nights, random days, even more random nights, shopping and being girly with my girls. I know that my friendships will grow out here in San Francisco, but I definitely miss my friends back home.

I wear shoes high enough to be considered stilts. I don’t know how I do it, or why really (afterall, I thought heels were supposed to make your butt look smaller… psht). But I love the sound of heels on the sidewalk and they just plain old make me feel sexy.

I laugh at almost everything. Even if it’s not funny. And when I laugh hard, I cry.

I say what’s on my mind. People at school and the bars I worked at in college used to make fun of me because I don’t have a filter. One time, another bartender actually cut a huge hole in one of the coffee filters at work and labeled it “Lauren’s Filter.”

I am full of energy. I talk at 90 miles a minute. I get excited about small, little things that usually mean nothing or very little to everyone else.

I’m still working on my insecurities. And I probably will be forever. But, at least I’m working on them and accepting them, instead of pretending they’re not there.

I don’t play games. If I want something, I go for it. Bottom line. Take my job and move to SF for example. I create my realities.

I watch the same sappy chick flicks over and over again. However, each time, I learn something new.

I prefer sweet wine over bitter red, fruity beer over hoppy, and tequila over any other liquor. I don’t like getting too drunk.

I cuddle. And I love the spot where my head just nestles perfectly where the arm meets the shoulder and the shoulder meets the chest.

I hug. Everyone.

I spend far too much time getting ready in the morning. But sometimes, if need be, I can get up, get ready, and be out the door in 20 minutes.

I miss the mountains. I miss fishing and camping and snowboarding. And my three favorite animals in the world – Yukon, Sophie and Sonny – the horses that saved my summer.

I am a sister. I cherish my relationship with my brother more than anything. We have grown so close and I am so thankful.

I freak out. Panic. Question everything, on a regular basis. Most of the time, I just talk (or write) myself out of it, but other times it leaks out in the form of arguments or snippy text messages.

I always win when I play Cranium with Ali. Maybe it’s because we can talk with our eyes and manipulate the hell out of the game, or maybe it’s just because it’s fun.

I don’t keep secrets. I trust easily. Sometimes to a fault. It takes a few times before I truly learn. I guess that’s part of the process.

I snoop and investigate and stalk (it’s not stalking… it’s market research). But it’s not because I’m creepy, it’s because I truly want to know everything about someone.

I am me. 100 percent of the time.

And that’s not even the half of it…

I can’t believe it’s been eight years. Eight years since the 9/11 attack on America. I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard about the attack – it was passing period in high school. I was walking outside to my next class. I bumped into a friend who cracked a joke about some “stupid pilot that flew his plane into a building.”

We laughed.

My heart sank as I spent the next five hours of the school day glued to the television screen in every single class. I couldn’t believe it.

I watched the second plane fly into building two in band class.

I was devastated. And I didn’t even know anyone in the area. I was miles away in Colorado, but my thoughts and prayers were in New York City.

And I couldn’t believe that just a couple hours prior, I thought it was a joke.

It seemed so surreal. And I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that people would have so much hatred toward the United States to kill thousands of people and themselves. To this day, I can’t believe there is so much hatred in this world.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” – Sandy Dahl, the wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl.

The news coverage was incessant and I was constantly watching. I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know all the details regardless of whether they’d result in nightmares. Which, more times than not, they did.

I dug up a poem I wrote shortly after the attack.

A Cloud of Smoke

It’s like looking through a bubble

to the crimson stained sky.

The wavy mirror

in the house of mirrors

distorting the proportion.

Baffled by the size

of the rubble left behind.

In your mind, nothing is real.

Blink, and pinch all you want

you will not awake from this nightmare.

This octopus

strangles thousands

of throats with hatred.

This fire flight

has locked the door

and taken off

and raised its wheels.

Consider it; hopeless.

Take a moment today and remember.

I read a quote from Ben Franklin the other day that seemed to suit me quite well, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” I think the quote is pretty dead on when it comes to life in general.

My only qualm with it is: why does it have to be one or the other?

I was born to write. I knew in my fifth grade language arts class that I wanted to write. Thanks to that teacher (Mrs. McKenzie – yes, I remember), who saw my potential at age 10 and, therefore, rearranged my curriculum so I could write as much as possible, I am still pursuing that dream.

So, I write.

I’d like to think that my writing is worth reading. I seem to have established a small following. From getting feedback on Twitter and Facebook, to the many comments left on my blog, I feel like I have accomplished at least that.

It’s so flattering for me to receive such positive feedback from my readers. Heck, it’s flattering when someone hates something I’ve written as well.

There are a couple reasons why I write.

1. I write to gather my thoughts. I am one of those people who can write what I feel and express myself most clearly through written language. I have kept journals throughout my life (I have volumes) and I continue to write in them. Much like my personal journals, my blog is my sanctuary. Here, I write about what is going on. It’s not just a way to keep family and friends “in the loop,” but it’s also a way for me to document my journey through life. One day, I will look back and re-read all of my entries and be able to live forever.
2. I write to start dialogue. I love nothing more than to hear feedback, opinions and general comments on what I write about. Much of what I’ve experienced and have come to know in my young age is, and will be, valuable knowledge for the rest of my life. My goal is to affect the lives of others. Whether it is through a post about the conflict in Iran, dating and relationships, or my move to San Francisco, I want to touch someone. Reach just one person. Speak or relate to another’s experience. Open the door for communication.

Within today’s society (and it’s getting better, at least I hope), I feel as if everyone is shut off. Everyone has closed their doors to communication. Everything is private and confidential. I don’t know if this protection is due to fear or lack of ability, but I want to break down those walls.

I don’t care how much money you make, what you do for a living, how old you are, where you went to school, or how many siblings you have.

Cut the small talk.

I want to know what you dream of. I want to know what you ache for, what you desire. I want to know how you think, how you breathe, how you soak in the moments of every day. I want to know how you love, how you let love. I want to know how you cry, what makes you cry, why. I want to know how you deal with life’s betrayals and the pain that comes with. Do you hide it, push it away, or try and fix it. Do you put your happiness before others’. I want to know what makes you laugh, smile, dance. What makes you throw away all your inhibitions and just be. Who can you trust and what makes someone trustworthy. Are you trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even if it’s not pretty. Do you earn or take. Live or watch. Fantasize or accept. I want to know what tires you and what excited you. What thrills you and what bores you. I want to know what you consider is true happiness. With oneself and with others. What keeps you alive when all else has failed.

I want to know what really matters.

In today’s society, all of these truths are lost in the hustle and bustle of routine. That is one of my biggest fears. Losing the passion in my life to the “same ‘ol, same ‘ol.”

Now, the second part of the quote, “…do something worth writing.”

The easy response for me would be, “Duh. I just picked up my entire life and moved 1268 miles away from everything I knew. Isn’t that doing something work writing?”

Well, yes and no. Yes, of course my big move into the city and my new job and chapter in my life qualifies as doing something worth writing. I’ve been writing about it for weeks. But, I want more. Now that I’m here, I don’t want to get sucked into the routine of work, sleep, work, sleep. I must strive for more.

There is so much to do out here in the city. There are so many people to meet, so many friends to make. So much to explore and experience and learn. I know I’ve only been here for a little less than a month, but I have barely dipped my big toe into everything there is here in San Francisco. I will push myself to continue to do things worth writing and never becoming complacent and “settled.”

I will forever be unsettled. And, quite frankly, I love it.

My blog is, of course, all about me. But, as I stated before, I write to inspire dialogue – to get you, my readers, to stop for a second and think. About you.

So tell me. Tell me what really matters to you. What makes you tick. What is worth reading or worth writing in your life.

And it ended with an interview with my dad on the CBS4Denver 10 p.m. Newscast.

Unbelievable.

The first tweet is from @MistyMontano

Dad responds from @BradFriedman

@MistyMontano responds

And the DMs begin

The interview is set!

After the interview

National news???

Wow. So cool.

Just another reason Twitter rocks.

My dad can be found on twitter @BradFriedman

Misty can be found on twitter @MistyMontano

Many times, it seems as though Americans (myself included) get caught up in their own American issues and forget there is a whole big world out there. I’m sure (or at least I hope) many of you have seen the news recently and have heard about the big controversy going on Iran.

Well, I didn’t.

It wasn’t really until tonight; via @ecomentario on Twitter that I realized that Iran is a big mess right now. So, I put on my little journalist hat and did some research. Here’s what I came up with.

The entire conflict in Iran stems from the 2009 Presidential Elections. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became President of Iran in 2005. It was after this election that the losing candidates claimed the election was unfair and there were irregularities at the polls. However, this was never investigated. Even after a formal protest, the argument was dismissed.

Now, Ahmadinejad has been re-elected in the 2009 elections that were held on June 12. And once again, the controversy is revived.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Ahmadinejad won the election with 66 percent of the votes while Mir-Hossein Mousavi received the remaining 33 percent. Now, concerns of alleged irregularities during the vote have been brought to the forefront.

According to an article from CNN, there is no independent election monitoring; only theCouncil of the Guardians of the Constitution would be in charge of monitoring/regulating anything to do with the election.

“Candidates are not allowed to be present at polling stations during voting or counting. Many voters are illiterate and officials help them fill in their ballot papers, so the possibilities for rigging are immense. And there are no booths in the polling stations so voting is done in public, not in private — a major obstacle for transparency,” said Amir Taheri, a Mideast analyst.

No one was watching.

While Ahmadinejad does have public support in Iran, Taheri believes that winning 66 percent of the votes is “impossible.”

Now, there are protests in the streets of Iran – people are dying because of this “stolen” election. And the government seems to be fighting fire with fire.

It is also believed that having Ahmadinejad as President for another four years will stunt the growth of the U.S.-Iran relationship.

According to Karim Sadjapour (from the article from CNN), another Iran expert, “[Ahmadinejad] presses the worst buttons in the context of domestic U.S. politics with his denial of the Holocaust and belligerence towards Israel. Domestically in Iran he has profoundly mismanaged the economy with one of the highest inflation rates in the world and high unemployment.”

Now, like America does it, Obama has come forward and said that Iranians should have every vote counted, should look into a full investigation into the possibility of vote rigging and should stop all the violence.

Duh.

However, what interests me the most about this conflict is how it’s affecting social media. I know, I know – I’m a nut, but it’s really fascinating.

@ecomentario, who seems to be right in all the action in Iran, tweeted earlier, “If you’re outside Iran, change your Twitter profile time zone to GMT +03.30 Tehran, and your location to Tehran to confuse government.”

Now, the government is trying to track down protestors via Twitter. And now avid Twitterers are using specific hash tags in order to remain under the radar.

In fact, Twitter had a scheduled maintenance that was due to occur tonight, but has now been rescheduled.

According to the Twitter blog, “A critical network upgrade must be performed to ensure continued operation of Twitter. In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight. However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran. Tonight’s planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran).”

This rescheduling was due to the new hash tag, “#nomaintenance” in order to stop the maintenance from occurring so people could continue to tweet the events occurring in Iran.

Just another reason Twitter and its users are capable of ruling the world.

More information as the story unfolds…

Other informational sites

Summary of the issue

Obama urges investigation of Iran election

Twitter reschedules maintenance

Live blog of the events in Iran

It’s amazing how it seems four years of your life turn into two ceremonies, a party and one piece of paper.

Is this what it really means to graduate?

No. Graduation means so much more. It means that you endured four years of classes, papers, exams and presentations. It means you survived late nights, early mornings, parties, fights, friendships, losing friendships, relationships. But most importantly, graduation means you accomplished an incredible feat.

Now, I may be speaking just for myself here, but I’ve grown so much in the past four years. I have learned who in my life is a true friend and who is not. I have eliminated unhealthy relationships. I have established personal standards when it comes to developing new, healthy relationships. I have grown more confident in everything I do. I have strengthened my work ethic. I have learned what it feels like to be in a high leadership role. I have gained experience dealing with all kinds of people. These past for years do not just culminate in one little piece of paper to me.

The friendships I have made in college will outlast time. At several of the graduation barbeques I attended this past weekend, the ambiance was not as celebratory as I had expected. Most of these friends were sad to be leaving this stage in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I cried too. But I can honestly say I have never received so many bear hugs in one weekend.

Yes, the world is changing around us graduates. Yes, we are thrown out into the “real world” (whatever that is) now. But we will always have each other. No matter where we are scattered around the United States and abroad, we will always have each other and the memories we made.

The knowledge I have gained from my classes will help me in the workforce. I’ll be honest; some of the classes I took were a total waste of time. But the ones that weren’t made up for it. My professor, Jan Whitt, opened my eyes to Women and Popular Culture. Trager, of course, taught me the ins and outs of First Amendment Law. And Amy Herdy, well, Amy taught me more than I can put into words.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go to college.

Now it’s time to take my life into my own hands and turn my dreams into realities. I know it sounds cliché, but I wholeheartedly believe that anything is possible. I am young. I am able. And I am more than willing to reach for the stars.

I had the privilege of going to college, and I chose to succeed

No matter what the “rate of unemployment” is, I will find a great job. As Milton Berle once said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

So, I’ll build my own door, and then I’ll come-a-knockin’.

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.