After writing for The Rebellion over the past four years, I’m sad to say that I’ll finally be hanging up the cleats.

Although there will be no more deadlines to meet, bad mugshots to take, or stints of severe writer’s block, there is a lot I will miss about this class once I walk through that door for the final time.

Since the moment I first enrolled in my freshman year, I have had the privilege to meet some of the most interesting people I have ever met and even the opportunity to grow my budding passion for journalism.

First and foremost, it would be disrespectful if I did not take the time to thank the man, the myth, the legend himself, my teacher, Mr. Melching.

Without his teaching and guidance, I wouldn’t be half the journalist I am today. Not only is his knowledge of the newspaper second to none, but the level at which he writes, edits, and designs pages is something to which I have always aspired.

At every opportunity, I was trying to pick his brain about what I could improve on, and my work would always end up ten times better without fail.

Perhaps what I am most thankful for is him pushing me to put me to be the best possible version of myself.

Whenever I would get off track, he was right there to remind me what needed to be done. He was also the person who helped me realize my potential, and he was always trying to get the most out of me with each and every issue.

Any student would be lucky to have a teacher who cares so much about his students and craft as much as he does. Thank you sir.

I also had some amazing classmates who pushed me to be a better journalist.

Two in particular, Samuel Colmar and Grace Robinson, were the most influential.

After joining Journalism II my junior year, I got to know Sam, and I immediately realized how impressive his work was.

Not only was he an expert at investigating sources, but he was also an artist with the camera.

His stories were always intriguing and full of depth, and the art he would pair with it was just as good.

I would always be “competing” with him to put out the best possible work I could because I knew it would make us better and the paper better as a whole.

He has since moved on to photographing UK sports events, and I hope to pursue my passion like he has after I graduate.

Finally, Grace Robinson has been working alongside me since the very beginning. Literally, right beside me.

There was never a dull moment while she was in the class and I am glad to have spent all this time working with her.

Not only is she very passionate about what she writes about, but she has also always been a lot better at meeting deadlines than I have. Deadlines will be my eternal enemy.

I was always envious of how she could crank out stories and I’m glad she and the rest of the class would nag me about getting my work done. It’s ironic because this is also the last story that needs to get done in this issue. Funny.

I’ll miss all the stories we got to write together and I am ready to see what we can both accomplish after we walk across that stage.

Looking back, it’s crazy to think I might not have taken journalism if I didn’t meticulously sift through that monstrous book of classes they hand you as an eighth-grader, but I’m glad I did.

Thanks to what I learned and those who I met during my time in this class, I was able to grow in more ways than one, and my journey writing for the newspaper has opened up more doors for me than I ever could have imagined.

Because of the work I put in, and the help I received from those around me, I grew into an exceptional journalist, and I even started pursuing new endeavors in the field.

I grew to love directing, photography, and I even started one of my favorite projects, my first podcast, which I hope to make a career out of some day.

So, even though my time as a journalist with The Rebellion is coming to an end, that is not the end of the road for me. I will continue to work as hard as I can to become the best at whatever I choose to do, whether that be writing articles or broadcasting live from around the world.

Without this class, and all the people who pushed me to be great, I do not know if I would have been as prepared to take on my future as I am now. Although I will miss the memories and friendships I have made, I am ready to take that next step in life, and pursue something even greater.