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Have a strong opinion about something happening on campus or in Fort Collins? Want to respond to an article written on The Collegian? Write a Letter to the Editor by following the guidelines here.

Bonner: Thank you for letting me be part of your history

May 1, 2025

Collegian | Cait Mckinzie

Trin Bonner

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 started as illustration editor at The Collegian in my second year at CSU, and over these past four years, this newspaper has grown and developed alongside me, and I have had the honor to experience the talents of so many illustrators and designers who often make me question how I’m in this position — in the best way possible. The illustrators we have on our team are truly some of the most determined and creative people I have ever met. They make this newspaper so beautiful and make it feel so personal, as everyone’s style shines through.

Being the illustration editor for this paper has been such a unique experience. Stepping into this position and carrying the legacy given to me by Falyn Sebastian was very daunting, and I hope I have done it justice. The design desk is such an interesting pool of creativity and a rare opportunity to grow alongside so many designers as they get stronger and stronger every year.

Leaving The Collegian is very hard, and I will never stop spending every day brainstorming new cartoon ideas and sketching every second I can. Making cartoons in a newspaper every week has always been my dream, and I am eternally grateful to this newspaper for letting me live it.

I will miss working with such great people, but I cannot wait to see what the illustration desk will become. I know that those ahead of me will transform it into a hub of creative minds beyond my imagination, and I am so thrilled to see all of the new artists and all of the new work they will create. I, of course, will also miss every editor whom I have created something for, and I hope they have found the work of our team to represent their wonderful writing well. I will miss getting messages reminding me to upload illustrations on Sundays, and I will miss the fun of seeing the behind-the-scenes of so many artists’ different processes.

To The Collegian, I am, and always will be, so grateful that I can be a part of your history. I cannot wait to see how you develop. To the readers, I deeply hope that my cartoons have made you laugh or smile at least once. My characters exist thanks to you.

Trin Bonner was the 2024-25 illustration editor of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. She can no longer be reached at design@collegian.com, but she can be reached on Instagram @gauche.galaxy.

About the Contributor

Cait Mckinzie, Photo Director

Cait Mckinzie is a second-year student double majoring in art and journalism and media communication. She is one of two photo directors for the 2024-25 school year. Despite growing up in Renton, Washington, Mckinzie knew she wanted to go to Colorado State University since middle school. She had only ever been to Colorado twice, but she visited campus once, and that was all it took. At first, there wasn’t much in Fort Collins that Mckinzie was familiar with. But in high school, she was the co-head of visuals for her school newspaper, so she applied to The Collegian as a photographer to get back into a similar environment. Mckinzie was first introduced to photography by her grandfather, who has been a photographer most of his life. After he gifted Mckinzie her first camera in her junior year of high school, she began to take any assignment she could for her high school paper to improve her skills. Of all the memories made in her first year at CSU, most of the interesting ones came from The Collegian. One Halloween drag show assignment, a lot of mentorship and a few months of practice later, Mckinzie found herself being offered the position of photo director for the next academic school year. Mckinzie is excited for another year at The Collegian and aims to continue learning and growing during her time as one of the photo directors.

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