I’ve never been good at leaving, but this goodbye is harder than most.

It’s not the fear of getting a job or growing up that makes me sentimental, but it’s the knowledge that things will never be the same.

SMU has been an incredible university. However, there was one small division that changed my life.

The division of journalism is easy to miss. We don’t have our own building. And, we barely have our own wing. Yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It is within those small confines that I met my second family, discovered my dreams and was pushed every day to succeed.

Walk through our division and you will hear students laughing, people screaming, someone stomping and teachers engaging with their students.

I’ve passed through the doors hundreds of times and always looked forward to who I would see in the convergence room or bump into along the way.

The division is not cold or sterile, but instead a place where students feel perfectly comfortable sleeping all night … and believe me, many do.

It’s a place where we can learn, challenge one another and work hard, but also enjoy each other’s company and form lasting friendships.

It was in this department that I met some of my closet friends and had the opportunity to employ my dreams to be a journalist.

Everyday I was surrounded by students and faculty, who challenged me to be my best, pushed me to excel and allowed me to explore my dreams.

My teachers demanded that I give my best everyday but in return I was rewarded with respect, friendship and the opportunity to learn from brilliant mentors.

I would not be where I am today without Pam Harris, Lucy Scott, Michele Houston or Jayne Suhler. They saw talent and abilities in me before they even existed and pushed me to be a better person, student and journalist. I will forever be humbled, honored and blessed to have had them all as teachers, mentors and friends.

The idea of waking up each morning and not walking through those double doors, seeing my friends and second family, is what makes this transition the hardest.

My friends and colleagues in the journalism department have enriched my life everyday, and for that I will be forever grateful.

I cannot thank them enough for keeping me Zen, making me laugh, accepting me for who I am and being devoted friends. I am a better journalist, student and person because I had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from each one of them.

My dream to attend SMU began when I was 12 years old, and it would have never been possible without my parents. Everyday they instilled in me the importance of education and I cannot thank them enough for sacrificing their lives to give me the gift of education.

My parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams, allowed me to make mistakes and loved me unconditionally along the way. They have been my constant and I will forever be grateful for their endless love, infinite support and continued selflessness.

As I look ahead to May 12, I realize that I’m not ready to leave SMU, and who knows, maybe I never will be. But the time has come for me to move on, and for the division of journalism to take back some of the quiet my presence stole from them some time ago.

I will miss this place immensely, but as I look back, I can’t help but think how blessed I am to have been part of such an incredible family and unique experience at SMU.