Letter from the editor: It’s time to say goodbye

A lot has changed since I came to NC State almost four years ago. Since August 2019, I have changed my major, developed new professional goals, lost some bad friends and gained a lot of amazing ones. In the midst of all this change, one thing has stayed the same — my love for writing and my love for Technician.

Shilpa Giri Vol. 103 Editor-in-Chief

As I love to tell people any time I talk about Technician, joining the paper is one of the first things I did when I got to NC State, finding it during Welcome Week. If you had told 19-year-old me that she would be Editor-in-Chief of this whole thing three years later, she would have told you you’re crazy. But somehow, as I worked through various sections and positions under the guidance of so many amazing editors, I found myself here, writing my last column for Technician with a byline that says Editor-in-Chief. I didn’t plan on thanking a lot of people in this letter, but once I sat down to write it, I realized there are a lot of people I wouldn’t be here without, so please bear with me.

Firstly, a big thank you to my Maa, Bapa and Bhai. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have made it to NC State, let alone work for Technician. Thank you for always being so encouraging and supporting my decision to work at a newspaper despite being a biology major. My brother posted one of the first articles I ever wrote for Technician on his socials, and while it definitely wasn’t one of my better pieces, that small gesture made me feel so proud of my work and supported by my family. My out-of-Technician support system, Grant and Hillary, thank you for being my best friends. I’ll always appreciate your patience with me as I ranted about a bad day or talked about an idea for the paper. You were the first people I called after I got the job, and you will continue to be the first people I go to whenever anything major happens in my life, good or bad. Y’all are my rocks, and I love you so much.

Next, I have to give a big shoutout to the first editor I worked under as a first-year, Joey Rivenbark. Thank you for introducing me to opinion writing, for teaching me how to write for a newspaper and for making the opinion meetings so fun I never wanted to skip one. Your faith in me encouraged me to apply to be a section editor, and I wouldn’t have lasted this long without your guidance.

Jaylan, Tristan and Caryl (JTC!), y’all were the best managerial editors I could have ever asked for as a section editor. Jaylan, I’ll be honest, I was super intimidated by you when I first started working with you, but then I realized you were just a big goofball who loved Technician. Thank you for showing me how to be a good EIC, and while I probably wasn’t as good as you, I think I did decent, and I hope I made you proud. Caryl, thanks for being such a wonderful editor to work with, and we really missed your crazy energy in the office this year. Tristan, I will be thankful to you for the rest of my life because I never would have been Editor-in-Chief without you. Thank you for pushing me to apply for the job, for all your help during the application process and for all your words of encouragement.

Mari, you’re the first friend I made at Technician. I think we were quite literally the dream team running Opinion together during our junior year, and I am so grateful for every moment I got to work with you. Thank you for all the memories of leading section meetings, working with writers, getting coffee, laughing about a certain someone always falling off furniture and for making the best guacamole on the planet. I think I might miss that more than anything else.

Patrick Neal and Ben McNeely, thank you for sharing all your wisdom with me and the rest of the staff throughout this year. Patrick, you made the transition from Vol. 102 to Vol. 103 so easy and enjoyable, and I’m going to miss hearing all your crazy stories working with Student Media. I will always think of you when I watch Georgia play football, and how you’d sign off your emails with “Go Dogs!” during football season. Ben, thanks for all the energy you bring into the newsroom and for helping us come up with so many ideas for the paper. Your love for the paper is unmatched, and I can’t wait to see how Technician grows under your guidance. This year hasn’t been the easiest to report on, but both of y’all’s help and encouragement got us through it.

My biggest thank you goes to my best friends, my ride-or-dies and the best managing editors I could have ever asked for, Sam and Wade. Thank you for always having my back and being so supportive and dependable. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this role without you two, and you made every second a rewarding experience. Sam, I’m going to miss all our secret conversations and emotional heartto-hearts, bonding over how to annoy Wade and our Tuesday-night dinners. Wade, I’m going to miss your silly jokes, how you always manage to get on Sam’s nerves and your rare hugs. While I fully expect you to just drop off the face of the Earth after graduation, I hope you stay in touch. There’s no one else I would have rather had helping me run a paper, and I’m so grateful for the two of you always going over and beyond.

Lastly, to next year’s EICs, Ethan Bakogiannis and Jameson Wolf, and their managing editor Emily Vespa, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come, and I know y’all are going to do an amazing job with Vol. 104. The three of you are some of the most talented, passionate and dedicated student journalists I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and I have no doubt you’re going to do great.

To everyone else in Student Media, thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow and make so many memories here. I never thought a singular building would be so important to me, but after four amazing years, Witherspoon Student Center will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you, Technician, for everything.

Signing off as Editor-in-Chief for the last time,

Shilpa Giri