Karah-Leigh Hancock
Editor-in-Chief
kphancoc@valdosta.edu

Next Saturday I will be walking across the stage and graduating from VSU after five years and three major changes.

To put it lightly, I don’t want to graduate and I don’t want to leave.

I never thought I would say this, but I love VSU.

Most importantly, I love The Spectator.

I know that I can’t be Editor-in-Chief forever, but it’s not about the job title or the recognition that we receive, whether good or bad.

It’s about the friendships that I’ve made while working at The Spectator.

The friendships made in the office are what made Wednesday nights my favorite night of the week.

Sure, designing pages and copy editing (yes, we do copy edit, no matter how many mistakes you find) can be boring, but it’s the jokes, the dirty comments and laughter that made it probably the best time of my life (so far).

It’s Kate doing her best Pterodactyl impression and dancing with Dana. It’s Ashley and Rebecca’s anime discussions and the rest of us calling them crazy.

It’s Lee climbing through the window with a fake axe in his hands.

It’s our editorial advisor Ted Geltner’s birthday guessing game and it’s our old editorial advisor Leah Cassorla taking me into the hallway to calm me down after I get too upset over something or start questioning myself.

It’s Michael, Lee and Josh in the “man corner” with the fifty- cent Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar I bought them.

It’s Dr. Pat Miller telling us some insightful tidbit and then telling us it’s “just a thought.”

The Spectator and the people involved have made me who I am today.

Because of one little ad in The Spectator, wanting a Web editor, my life was turned upside down. 

Because of the newspaper, I’ve found something that I’m good at and what I want to do with my life.

As a part of my goodbye, I want to leave a few cherished things to those who have been a part of this last year.

Lee, I leave you my job and you better take care of it. I also leave you the stick that you used to break into my truck that night. Thanks for being there for me this past year and for ignoring me when I get in one of my moods. Beat 10 awards next year and remember, if you’re not first… you’re last.

Ashley, I leave you the gargoyle that protects the office and sits on the window.

Kristal, I leave you “Pop Addict.” Take care of it, love it, nurture it and feed it at least twice a day with delicious orange Fanta.

Kate, I leave you your Pterodactyl noise. Please don’t do that in my ear again. Good luck in Washington, D.C.

Michael, I leave you Josh Colwell. He can write sports now that I’m gone, but you’ll have to fight Lee for him.

Rebecca, I leave you the Jonas Brothers poster since you think Nick is cuter than the guy in the “Hannah Montana” movie.

Most importantly, Danielle, I leave you as royalty. You are the next Spectator Princess since you will be Managing Editor next year. Don’t let anybody else take that from you.

As I say goodbye to The Spectator and VSU, I say hello to my future, even though I don’t know what that is yet. The economy sucks right now, especially for a rookie journalist.  I may be back for graduate school in the fall and maybe I won’t.

Regardless, I feel like my legacy at the Spectator will be remembered, if not by some of the weird things that sit in the office and abundance of pink that has graced The Spectator this year, then by the 10 awards we won in February at the Georgia College Press Association awards.

We may not have kicked Georgia Southern where it hurts, but we came pretty darn close.
Stay classy VSU, and goodbye.

If you would like to continue reading Karah-Leigh ramblings, check her out on Twitter (@karahleigh) or on her personal site, www.karahleighhancock.com.