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.
I have spent five years at Colorado State University, and I feel like I’ve lived twice as many lives in that time — the climbing team; the music scene; horticulture; fish, wildlife and conservation biology; and so many more. I have had four different majors and been a part of clubs, teams, communities and more. Like most of us, I found The Collegian through a speech from Jake Sherlock, wandered into the newsroom three years ago, met my best friends and never left.
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The Collegian photo desk took me in as a photographer and spit me out as a photojournalist. During my three years here, I have learned so much about photography, journalism, myself, leadership and the world. But most importantly, The Collegian gave me a family. Luke Bourland, Tri Duong, Lucy Morantz and the entire staff instantly took me in as one of their own and led me through the steps of how to visually tell a story.
I was taught how to deal with sensitive topics, hard-to-handle stories and everything in between. Starting out as a confused photographer, I slowly figured out how to transfer those skills into photojournalism and share some incredible stories. For my last year, I took over as co-photo director, something I initially did not want to do but am so glad I did. Taking a management position taught me the inner workings of the newspaper, how to lead a team and how to be a good teacher. I have hired people, led desk meetings and done more that I thought I would never do.
I have done things I never thought possible during my time here. I have been to X Games and Dew Tour and shot photos of Shaun White and other Olympic athletes. I’ve been to protests that have been written in history, on the frontline of wildfires and onstage with some incredible bands. I have spent literal years of my life embedding myself into communities different from my own and giving a voice to people who would have not had one otherwise.
One of the things I have loved most about The Collegian besides the people I got to work with is the freedom to pursue long-form stories. This is where I have learned the most about journalism and the world. My favorite part of my job is taking a crazy idea, devoting my entire existence to that idea for sometimes even a whole year and coming out the other side with an incredible story about a person, way of life or community that would have never been seen otherwise. These stories have led me all over the state of Colorado, from farms in Palisade to rodeos in the farthest corners of the state I never even knew existed. These stories have shaped how I view the world and how I interact with people forever.
In the middle of both my first and sophomore years, I almost dropped out on multiple occasions. My father told me to stick with it, and I would eventually stumble upon something I never knew existed. Staying at CSU was the best decision I ever made. It led me to my Collegian family and the crazy world of journalism.
As we said at X Games at 3 a.m. after almost getting kidnapped, “Not going to remember this tomorrow.”
Milo Gladstein was the 2023-24 photo director of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. He can no longer be reached at photo@collegian.com, but he can be reached on Twitter @GladsteinMilo.
