Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU.

The somewhat cheesy, Percy Jackson-esque line I’ve been thinking about starting my goodbye column with goes like this: I never wanted to be a Ram.

Because it’s true. When I graduated from high school after spending most of my life in Fort Collins, Colorado State University was not in my plans. It was the place I had my high school graduation, where I couldn’t figure out how to navigate the Lory Student Center, where I drew in chalk on The Oval at math camp, but that was it. It wasn’t for me until it was.

Transferring to CSU — and subsequently joining The Collegian staff — was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. The Collegian is just one of many factors that contributed to this profound sense of belonging I discovered at CSU, and I’m simply not ready to say goodbye to any of it. I think I would rather just say, “Talk to you later.”

Unlike everything else we do, goodbye columns at The Collegian aren’t for our readers so much as they are for us, to embrace one last byline and reflect on the time we’ve spent at the paper. Despite a general feeling of oddity surrounding the fact that I will no longer be a Collegian staffer come Friday, writing this column has made me more content with this inevitable ending.

It’s not a bad thing to be moving on, and I hope my peers and my staff can feel OK with that, too, and are proud of the work they have done because I know I am immensely proud of and grateful for them.

Long after we send our final paper to print, I will remember the moments we shared and the stories we told far better than the typos we caught and the deadlines we may have missed. Alongside the more subtle life skills and “lessons” I’ve gained and the plethora of journalism work we’ve done, I will cherish the kindness, the laughter, the late nights, the difficult weeks and the many, many snacks.

So even though our time together is ending, and our paths may never cross in such a way again, and we don’t know where to go from here, I’m still not going to say goodbye. It’s not feasible for me to list all the things or all the people who have impacted my time here, so I’ll just leave you with a few final thoughts.

My time at The Collegian has allowed me to embrace and appreciate the complexity of life. I have a lot of regrets about the things I could have done at CSU but never did, of missed opportunities and lost friendships, but more than anything, I’m grateful for all the people who have welcomed me into their lives these last four years.

Between the community that has trusted me with its stories as a reporter and the staff that has trusted me as an editor and, hopefully, a friend, I’ve been given the grace to be imperfect and the opportunities to prove myself again and again.

Further, The Collegian has shown me hope. When I watch my colleagues continue to show up through a pandemic, family issues, personal difficulties and so much more, I have hope that everything is going to be OK.

It’s never going to be a permanent goodbye, Collegian, because we’ve made it this far. Just as my staff has upheld the integrity, prestige and purpose of this 132-year-old newspaper, I know future Collegian staffers will too.

So even as my name disappears from this paper and my staff moves on to the great things they’re capable of, I’ll see you around, Collegian — it’s been real.

Serena Bettis was the 2022-23 editor in chief of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. She can no longer be reached at editor@collegian.com, but you can find her on Twitter @serenaroseb.