In the Midst of Change

When we developed a vision statement for this semester’s Cowboy Journal, little did we know how true this statement would become when the news broke OSU classes would transition to online. The entire staff clung to this vision through these unprecedented times, and we came together as a team to create a remarkable publication we will never forget.

The semester started with the excitement of a new college name and the unveiling of a plan for a new building for the college, the vision of completing our final undergraduate semester and planning to walk across the stage in May. However, the future quickly became one of the most uncertain times we have ever known.

“I’ve seen the staff of this issue of the Cowboy Journal step up,” said Matt Staples, Cowboy Journal staff member. “We don’t see each other as often and yet still work hard to keep the Journal on track. The best thing is how we wrote our vision statement before all of the craziness of social distancing. We talked about how in the midst of change being the best and elite magazine is about the family. I have seen over and over the family working in the midst of change.”

In 20 years when we look back on this time, we will find we grew personally as well as professionally by enhancing our communications skills and overcoming problems virtually by talking them out with one another. Although this is not how we imagined our final semester at OSU, we can say we gained knowledge and lifelong skills from the experience.

By leaning on each other through hardships and supporting each other in our times of triumph, we have become a true family that accepts our differences and supports each other into the future.

Although we took different paths to get to the final chapter of our undergraduate experiences at Oklahoma State University and to create this volume of the Cowboy Journal, we will forever be bonded.

From the time we stepped into 404 Ag Hall, we were welcomed into a diverse family and one amazing community. Our bonds will last a lifetime as will those of the future generations of agricultural communicators who travel through this program.

During the pandemic we have longed for the days to be on the fourth floor talking, hanging out and waiting to get into the computer lab. That place is one location anyone who has been a part of this program will know and cherish. A big thank you goes to all of the professors who pushed us to this point and never let us quit. We will forever remember the times we shared with you.

Looking into the future, we have no idea what the world might hold, but everyone who has been a part of our journey has prepared us for this moment. We can conquer anything that could possibly come into our paths as we welcome our new beginnings. While we may not have taken the most conventional path to complete a Cowboy Journal, we made it.

In the midst of change, the vision and goal of the spring 2020 COWBOY JOURNAL team is to work collaboratively as one unit, capitalizing upon each other’s strengths and building confidence in our areas of weakness, to produce a CLEAN and ELITE publication that showcases the inspiring and impactful stories of our college’s FAMILY. As we progress into the future and welcome new beginnings, we will cling to and reflect largely on our roots to ensure we never forget the importance of what came before.

BRITTNY RICHARDS

Story by Brittny Richards of Muskogee County Oklahoma