It’s surreal that this is the last article I’ll ever write for The Daily Campus. I’ve been working at this paper since the summer before I got to SMU and it’s essentially defined my life as a student. While working at this paper hasn’t always been the most easy going time, it has certainly been the most rewarding thing I’ve done while in college.

When I first came on staff the summer before I transferred to SMU, I really just wanted to write opinions and perhaps integrate some more fun into The Daily Campus’ opinion section. I didn’t want to run the show; I didn’t even want to be a journalism major. That all changed quickly.

From online editor, to editor in chief, to politics editor ­— which I have enjoyed the most — this paper has been the outlet for all of my creativity and bizarre ideas. So, I would like to thank Jay Miller, our advisor, for allowing me to do all of the crazy things I said I wanted to do and for having my back during all of it.

Most people, when told their politics editor — who has had no experience running anything televised — wanted to hold a mayoral debate on live television would tell them they were crazy. Instead, Jay told me to run with it. The product was a one-hour debate with all four Dallas mayoral candidates that ran live on KXTA. This wouldn’t have been possible without Jay.

Thanks also to Carolyn Barta, my favorite journalism professor, who made me the best journalist I could be; Craig Flournoy, for his straightforward advice and encouragement; Michelle Houston, whose constant advice helped me stay sane; and Tony Pederson, for making it financially possible for me to go to this school at all.

But most of all, thanks to The Daily Campus staff, whose hard work has made the paper financially stable on its own — without any help from the university. This allows us to remain the independent voice of the university and protect students by giving them the best, most neutral news available to this university.

The paper is not funded by the school, which allows you as students to say what you want on these pages, and us as a staff to tell you what is really going on to the best of our ability. This is an invaluable service, and I hope that the independence of The Daily Campus will always be respected and valued by the faculty, staff and students of SMU — even if you don’t always agree with what it says.

This has been an interesting three and a half years at SMU, and even though I loved my time here, I’m glad to be moving on to a full time job — one, I’ll mention, I wouldn’t have got without my resume stocked with Daily Campus jobs. I know Sarah Kramer, the upcoming editor in chief, and Chase Wade, the new managing editor, will do a fantastic job running this paper. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store, and I couldn’t be happier to give up my secondary title as “longest serving staff member” to Tashika Varma and Spencer Eggers, who work incredibly hard to make this paper fantastic.

So this is Jessica Huseman, signing off. To all of the seniors who will graduate in May, cherish your last semester. It goes by too fast.

Jessica Huseman is a senior majoring in political science and journalism and serves as politics editor at The Daily Campus. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]