To the end of an era

To the sound of Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On,” my time here at The Chronicle comes to an end, and I will certainly miss working here. It has been an interesting place to work, never proving to disappoint, but the time has come to be gone.

At times it was very stressful, but nevertheless worth every second. The experiences and knowledge I gained from writing, interviewing and working with a great group of people will remain for a lifetime.

The Chronicle has been a part of my life before I was even a student here at PUC. A good friend of mine began writing for the paper a few years back and eventually became Editor-in-Chief. I would often visit the office during production and tag along on writing assignments. I saw firsthand how stressful it could be, but also, how beneficial it can be toward education. I can honestly say I’ve learned more through this job than in any college class I’ve taken.

When I began working here after being out of work, I had no idea the places this job would take me or the people I would get to meet. I went to Seattle, Wash. for a college media convention, attended an Occupy Chicago rally, covered the craziness behind the Eisenstein student/professor outrage (which seems to have lost its fire), made some great friends, consumed a ton of caffeine and lost a lot of sleep too.

I also learned many important life lessons. As I write this last column, I leave the Chronicle with one hope: to see it survive. Between the hardships of budget-crunching and the seemingly paperless future of newspapers, there is definitely a challenge ahead. The only way this place has a future is for more students to take an interest in The Chronicle. It is sad to say, but each year more college campuses are either cutting budgets or having to close up shop altogether. PUC has already begun that process by reducing the papers’ annual funding, namely by cutting the advisor position.

I wish my former co-workers good luck in succeeding in their futures, and I hope to see The Chronicle survive the next decade (after all, this is The Chronicle’s “hometown”). It will be weird not spending my Sundays at the office or writing three articles a week, however, I am ready for a change of pace and the next challenge ahead.

“Leaves are fallin' all around, time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay.”