For the past year, I have ended my day with Tower. With the unfortunate combination of long school days and insufficient lunches, my Tower experience has been largely characterized by a grumbling stomach. My fellow hangry staffers and I have sat through endless story sign-ups, tantalized by food review proposals and the smell of fresh cookies wafting from the foods class across the hall. As much as I love Tower, seventh hour is my hell.
A few minutes into class, I usually migrate lethargically to the back room to finish up my copy edits for the week. Here I have been known to utter more frequently than not, “Does anyone have food?” This question has been confronted with a wide range of success rates. Sometimes I am met with silence, and other times people have offered up their own snacks entirely out of pity for my childlike state. I attribute the best days to a family-sized bag of salt and vinegar chips or Trader Joe’s trail mix, best served with a side of gossip and pop culture discourse.
Sharing snacks has been the perfect gateway to unexpected friendships, and a delightful form of unspoken camaraderie. It has often been the sole catalyst to turn a dull day into something more memorable. More than anything, it’s a testament to finding joy in the simple act of sharing, disguised as “Hey, can I have some of that?”
As I stand on the precipice of new ventures, I hold on tight to these shared moments, and the friendships that would not have been possible without the Tower. Farewell and best wishes to those who did not let me go hungry.

With gratitude and bittersweet nostalgia,

Noelle Whorf