The first time I stepped onto the University of New Haven’s campus, I walked over to the closest newspaper distributor stand and took a copy of The Charger Bulletin. I hadn’t gotten my acceptance to the university yet, but leafing through the pages, smudging newspaper print onto my hands, I turned to my mom and said: “I’m going to be the Editor of this paper one day.”

Now, on the cusp of graduation, I find it hard to believe that I actually made it happen. Over the past four years, so many things have changed: friends have transferred, boys have come and gone, professors who have had such impact on me resigned, but The Charger Bulletin has been the one constant in my life, the one thing that has kept me motivated and moving toward a field I love, the one thing that has never changed.

I joined the paper as a shy freshman. I knew I wanted to be a journalist, but I had never really written a news article. I went to the first interest meeting of the year, where I met Liz Fields, Liana Teixeira, Sam Mathewson and Jenn Harrington. I didn’t know it at the time, but these four women would become my mentors, providing me  with guidance, support and friendship. I threw myself into the paper, signing up for as many articles as I possibly could, writing about anything and everything. I applied to go on a journalism conference in Chicago, and, amazingly, I was accepted. I learned more about the media and my love for it grew. More importantly, I learned something about myself: I was capable of doing things I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do.

During my sophomore year, I began taking on more responsibility; I become a copy editor and the editor of the opinions section. I said yes to every article thrown my way. I saw more of this campus than ever before: the back room of the C-Store, the most haunted part of Maxcy, the inside of President Kaplan’s office. I was able to voice my opinions and ask my questions. I went to San Diego with the staff and learned about the impact of the media while listening to the crash of the waves just outside the window. I applied for Assistant Editor and I got the position. I was on my way to fulfilling my dream.

Junior year brought me to the other side of the paper. I got my own desk, access to the emailing list and even greater opportunities. I interviewed UNH alumna and Voice finalist Kristen Merlin, took photos of Sammy Adams during the Swimsuit Sprint concert and went to a conference in Philadelphia, where I decided I wanted to pursue journalism even further in grad school.

Now, as a senior, I’ve risen to Editor-in-Chief, and the freshman year version of me would be in awe of all I’ve accomplished. Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to get through this year without Sami Higgins, Assistant Editor. Sami has been there as the calm voice of reason when I cried as my computer shut down in the middle of an issue, when no one turned in news and we had to scramble to fill space and when my brain was melting out of my ears as I sat in a box in the office when I should have been working on the paper. I have never met a more positive, hard-working person in my life, and I can’t wait to hear about all of the amazing things she does in the future.

While leaving something I’ve grown so attached will be hard, I’m able to rest easy knowing that I’m handing the reigns over to two of the most passionate, hardworking and inspiring people I know: Glenn Rohrbacker and Sam Reposa. I look forward to the day I can leaf through an issue they’ve worked on; I know that under their leadership, the newspaper will flourish and I am so excited to see how great it can be.

Armed with all of my Charger Bulletin skills and experiences, I’ll be leaving UNH this spring and starting at New York University in the fall, where I’ll be studying Magazine Writing as a graduate student. If it wasn’t for this small paper and the people I met because of it, none of the things I’ve done would have been possible, and I owe so much of my success to the people who have believed in me every step of the way. There are some things I’ll never let go of as I leave UNH behind: I will always have a newsprint smudge on my heart.