The Last First and the First Last

I texted my mom tonight:
"Last Reporter article
[for the school year] is in.
I'm not quite sure how I
feel about that."

Her response:
"sad bitter sweet old
grown up excited looking
forward to the future?"

"Yeah. That." I answered.

It's a bitter sweet moment for me certainly. Though I only worked at The Reporter for the past year I grew so much as a person. I developed a writing style all my own. I learned about working in an office. I made mistakes, I learned from them, and I worked with an editor who always was there to help. Lately, people have also been recognizing my name from the paper, which has been really cool.

You see, The Reporter is the first paper I have ever worked for. Truly the only legitimate media experience I've had was here. My first byline, my first front page, my first story, my first beat have all been here. I picked Journalism going into college because I had gotten a taste of it in high school when I worked on my school's yearbook during fall semester my senior year and absolutely fell in love with it. The people I met, the stories I was told, the pieces I wrote, taught me more about my high school and the people in it than during my whole four years I was there. The same is true for The Reporter. Though it took me longer to get up the nerve to apply than most people, I'm so glad I did.

Covering events, covering the whole gamut of the University including: Take Back the Night, A Vandalized Snow Sculpture, The Ballroom Renovation, A Blood Drive, various speakers and programs.

Covering community events and organizations: The Southern Minnesota Wedding Expo, Habitat for Humanity, The Apology Day party at the Best Western. Just to name a few.

Covering the MSSA beat, MSU's version of a student council, though some people probably think it's the most boring job on the planet, was completely fascinating to me. Though I grumbled about the meetings some days, seeing things--politics, the inner-workings of the administration, The role of MSSA in the University, referendums passed by the students and vetoed by the President, relationships built with the city--while they're unfolding from an "outsider's" perspective was so interesting to me. Seeing the interaction between people and getting to understand more about this organization was, for lack of a better word, exciting. Yes, I admit once again that I am a complete and total nerd.

42 articles. 18 weeks. Two issues a week. Clips are great and important, the producer is only as good as the product, but what I'll take away from the experience is the people I met and the things I learned while I was there.

Here's to experience, lessons, and learning.
Here's to a future unknown, but exciting all the same.
Cheers!

Until Next Time,
Avery Cropp