As my students can attest, I cry more than anyone else I know.
Sad commercials? I’m crying. Pictures of my dog, Theo Pinson-Ladisic-James, when he was a puppy? Waterworks. Beating Duke in the Final Four? Yeah, I was that girl sobbing in the middle of the madness on Franklin Street. And if you saw me crying at Linda’s, Goodfellows or He’s Not on Friday night … mind your business.
Without a doubt, I’ve cried more in the last few days than I have since I was a senior in college, and that’s wildly fitting. Because just like in 2016, I’m about to say goodbye to The Daily Tar Heel (and the students who make it what it is) once again.
In Steve Carell’s last episode of "The Office" as Michael Scott, he said to Jim Halpert: “Why am I so sad? Am I doing the wrong thing?” Jim replied: “Absolutely not. It’s just that sometimes, goodbyes are a bitch.”
This goodbye is absolutely a bitch, but here it goes:
In 2016, I had no idea that I would have the chance to come back to the organization I loved so much as a student. That I’d fall in love with the revenue side of journalism. That I’d have a chance to work alongside my former news adviser, Erica Perel, and do some truly remarkable things. That I’d watch UNC go to a national championship, again, and … well, you know. Or that I’d leave again after four years.
But here we are. It has been an honor and the best four years of my life.
Before I short-circuit my keyboard with my tears, it’s time to say farewell with my parting gift: my very own Office DJ playlist, in honor of all of the students I’ve had the privilege of working alongside in the last four years. Every song reminds me of a moment, a day, a student, an adventure.
From Disney movie Fridays, to UNC-themed trivia at Linda’s, to the field trip to Richmond. From Taylor Swift rereleases to Costco trips to Anomia afternoons. I’m going to remember all of it, every second, and yes, I will cry.
