So my good friend Gia just asked me to read her senior column and it was kind of bad. It felt like I was reading an essay. A boring one. So, I’m writing this now– fresh out of reading that monstrosity– to make sure mine does not fall to the same fate.

I planned on making this column about Tower causing me to choose the University of Missouri over the University of Michigan (my former dream school), but you guys probably don’t care. It’s my only personality trait nowadays anyway. Brief summary: Tower made me fall in love with journalism and it’s been nothing but bliss ever since. And, Umich doesn’t have a journalism program, but Mizzou has a really good one, so yeah, case closed.

Now, onto the fun stuff. One time when I went to MIPA’s summer camp I cried in front of a room of like forty students while giving a presentation. No, the details aren’t important. Anyway, that was very embarrassing and it keeps me up at night. Every. Single. Night. But that was also the event that led me to having a very beautiful conversation with my MIPA teacher, Bobby Hawthorne. He truly was the best mentor I could’ve asked for, and so many of his lessons still come to mind each time I do an interview or write an article. I owe him a big thank you.

I also want to thank my good friend Kate Ennis. She helped me navigate everything having to do with college without a single complaint. She’s the one who even suggested I apply to Mizzou in the first place. Talk about the butterfly effect!

Of course, I’d also like to thank Edge for making The Tower the amazing community that it is. I’ve met so many great people through it including the unforgettable Aleena Siddiqui and the very talented Isabel Stoller. Attending Tower each day made school feel exciting and fun, and I know I’ll cherish those backroom memories long after graduation.

Okay, I’m approaching my word count so it’s time to wrap this up. The next time you hear from me will probably be in the Columbia Missourian with my name attached to some professional sounding article. And then maybe a few years later you’ll see my name in the New York Times and maybe a few years after that you’ll see my name on the front of a bestselling novel.

That’s the goal anyway.