As I sit here writing this piece as one of my final pieces for The Johnsonian at an unholy hour in the morning while doing layout, it is incredibly hard to begin to craft this farewell letter.
I cannot begin to say how much my past two years at Winthrop have impacted me, but most importantly how my time on The Johnsonian has shaped me into who I am today.
For the longest time, I wished that this day would come quickly so I could have a break from spotting Oxford commas and fighting Adobe InDesign on a weekly basis, but now that it’s here I can’t help but long for just one more week of doing one of my favorite things in the world.
I would like to take this opportunity now to thank those who have helped me along this road and who are with me 100% as I take a leap of faith and transfer to the University of South Carolina in the fall to finish my bachelor’s in journalism.
I would like to start by thanking my parents, Valerie and Kevin Bassett, and my sister Lily for your continued support, for encouraging me to always follow my passions and to always persevere through every obstacle that comes my way.
Thank you to the rest of my family for being a sounding board for any new ideas that I might have and for giving me wonderful advice whenever I need it.
Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend, Landon, for being my rock throughout this crazy year. You came to me when I wasn’t expecting it and I am so thankful that I said yes to going to mini-golf. Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear even if it was not necessarily what I wanted to hear, for letting me rant about anything and everything, for being a shoulder to cry on but most of all for just being an amazing boyfriend. I love you more than you know.
Thank you to my boyfriend’s family for your endless support and encouragement throughout everything.
To my Model United Nations friends, thank you for being a source of joy and inspiration throughout the year. Y’all made each and every day just a little bit better. Henry, Alyssa, Hannah, Ella, TJ, Zach, Armon, CeCe, Carrie, Carlee, Magda, Sequan and Cali, I can’t say how much I will miss y’all and all of the joy and laughter that comes with Model UN.
To my advisors Guy Reel and Bill Schulte, I would not have been half as successful without your advice and knowledge. Thank you for making me into the journalist I am today and for making me insanely picky about picas, AP style and breakout quotes.
A special thank you to Jennifer Disney who has always made sure I have been okay throughout these past two years. I would not have made it this far in college without your love, support, advice and encouragement. Dis, I cannot begin to thank you enough and how much I will miss you when I leave. You have made each day a little brighter with your relentless positivity and enthusiasm about everything.
To my Johnsonian mentors Bryn Eddy, Chase Duncan, Christian Smith, Mari Pressley, Matthew Shealy, Autumn Hawkins and Taylor Sallenger, thank you for taking a chance on someone who had never worked in print until two years ago. Without your knowledge and unfailing belief in me that I could be successful, I would not have progressed this far with my work on The Johnsonian.
To my staff, it has been my absolute privilege to be able to work alongside you in many different roles. Watching each and every one of you continuously grow in your roles is an absolute joy. Thank you for putting up with my continuous edits and for being so passionate about your work and providing for the Winthrop community. Mari, Ainsley, Ravyn, Zoe, Maliik, Autumn, James, Desia, Jada, Sam, David, Jeremiah, Sera, Lily, Mariana, Gabe and Taylor, I cannot begin to explain how much I will miss you and how big of an impact y’all have had on me.
And finally to The Johnsonian, it has been one of the greatest honors and experiences of my life to be able to serve as your centennial editor-in-chief. I feel as if I have grown up these past two years alongside you and I will forever have a place in my heart for you. You gave me a group of friends when I desperately needed it and a purpose when I felt I was lacking one. I hope that your legacy continues to shine and be a cornerstone of Winthrop’s past, present and future.
May your next editor-in-chief and staff love you even harder than I did, TJ. Thank you for the endless memories.
