During my time at The Daily Campus, I have seen a lot of changes.

I first started here in 2009 as a staff photographer for the then photo editor Michael Danser – who taught me everything I know now about the field of photojournalism.

I’ve worked for six editors in chief: Sarah Kramer, Ashley Withers, Jessica Huseman, Taylor Adams, Meredith Shamburger and Nicole Jacobson, and I have taken hundreds of thousands of photos at over a thousand separate events at SMU and abroad.

I’ve attended lectures, dinners, concerts, gallery openings, sporting events, red carpet premiers and runway shows.

I’ve met with professors, students, athletes, chefs, businessmen, artists, politicians and celebrities.

Since President Bush started visiting campus, the Secret Service has given me more background checks than I care to find out.

I’ve even taken photos at more restaurants than I’ve ever actually patronized.

In short, my time at The Daily Campus has opened up a world of opportunity to me that I could have never imagined when I first arrived at SMU.

It feels very strange to think about my graduation.

Sometimes, I forget that I won’t be a student here anymore; I imagine that, come August, I’ll be back, sitting at my desk in The Daily Campus office or watching a movie with my friends in Virginia-Snider.

I picture myself sitting in chapter with my brothers in BYX, or waking up wondering whether it’s worth my time going to class that morning.

Then I remember the illusion that it is.

Receiving a plaque from my fraternity as a symbol of my departure, the constant emails from SMU reminding me about graduation … even the casual invite to the SMU Alumni group on LinkedIn.

They all serve as harsh reminders that my time here has come to an end, and – ready or not – my future awaits.
In spite of all the people whose hands I’ve shook, whose photos I’ve taken or all of the wonderful experiences I’ve had serving as photo editor, what I value most of all are the people I’ve worked with day in, day out to produce this newspaper.

We’ve shared countless hours together coming up with quippy headlines, cracking jokes at other people’s expense and beating our heads against our desks because it’s midnight and we’re still not finished.

This semester has been no exception, so thank you Sarah, Tashika, Chase and Rahfin for putting up with me and allowing me to be a part of your lives.

Each of you made my time here all too memorable, and you each caused me less agony than you could have (except for Rahfin).

And for that, I say, “Go Grizz.”