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.

Simply put, writing for The Collegian has been a blur. 

As I sit down and write this goodbye column, a task I have dreaded due to its sad implications, I cannot help but reminisce about all of the amazing article ideas created, friendships made and exciting Sunday mornings spent adding the final touches to a satire article before its noon deadline. 

I joined The Collegian at a very pivotal time in my life. I had just switched majors from marketing to journalism and really wanted to prove to myself and my family that I could write and think creatively on a consistent basis. 

No more than a month into my first semester as a full-time journalism student, one of my professors took our class on a tour of The Collegian, and I immediately felt a connection to the newspaper and the opportunities it offered.  

Fast forward to now: I am about to graduate and have written more than 25 articles in total for the campus newspaper. From special editions to satire to random topics I felt strongly about, The Collegian has always been a space for me to voice my opinion on a platform that reaches a wide-ranging audience. 

My only regret about The Collegian is that I did not join sooner. Although I feel that I was given an ample amount of time to pursue my writing abilities within these past two years, while also blossoming friendships during that time, it all went by too fast.  

As the age-old saying goes, “Time flies when you are having fun,” and my two-year stint with The Collegian has been no exception. 

“If you are someone who is contemplating joining The Collegian or getting more involved with your college campus, please heavily consider joining the newspaper. You will not regret it. Before you know it, you’ll be in my position having to write a heartfelt goodbye column just wishing you had joined sooner.”

Specifically, writing for the opinion desk has been a job I took a lot of pride in upholding. I was allowed to write about such a wide variety of topics — essentially whatever I wanted — and for that, I am most thankful. There was never a point where I felt creatively weighed down or unheard. 

Especially being someone who changes interests on a very regular basis and is heavily influenced by popular culture, the opinion desk has allowed me to follow those passions and create new ones while ultimately strengthening my reporting, conversational and creative skills along the way. 

Other than joining sooner, I wouldn’t change a single thing about my experience at The Collegian. Although some of my jobs may not have been what I wanted, they were what I needed in order to become the best possible version of myself, and I learned more than I could have ever imagined. 

As a result of my tenure at The Collegian, I have become a more complete student of the university. I have learned about our campus sports, local art, politics and even cannabis. 

If you are someone who is contemplating joining The Collegian or getting more involved with your college campus, please heavily consider joining the newspaper. You will not regret it. Before you know it, you’ll be in my position having to write a heartfelt goodbye column just wishing you had joined sooner. 

So, to Colorado State University and The Rocky Mountain Collegian, it’s been quick, but it’s been damn fun, and I will never forget it. 

Callum Burke can no longer be reached at letters@collegian.com but can be on Twitter @burkec0621.