In my first letter from the editor almost a year ago, I wrote that my mission was to give the students of NC State the journalistic content they deserve. On this day, with a year of service as your editor under my belt, I believe that goal has been accomplished.

While there is still much work to be done as far as community coverage at NC State, our staff has regularly branched out from standard coverage of people who always have their faces on our pages to covering groups and communities that have not historically gotten the coverage they deserve. I assure this will cease to be a trend and start being commonplace for the years to come in Technician.

In the realm of web-only and social media content, our editorial staff has worked tirelessly to move Technician’s history of being a print-predominate newspaper to a digital-first news organization. We have met the consumer where they want to be met, both in our print newspaper that came out twice weekly and our digital content. This shift is here to stay, as Technician is going down to printing once weekly for Volume 99; a transition we are ready for and a transition our readers need.

Another promise I made at the beginning of my term was to hold organizations accountable for their actions. This was accomplished in our extensive coverage of Student Government, even leading to the illegal expulsion of the public, including our reporters, during a Senate committee hearing. Going forward, next year’s staff will ensure that all organizations and people in power, not only Student Government, will be held accountable by your student newspaper.

I cannot express how much I’ve loved being your editor this past year. With many letters to the editor expressing concern to friendly emails praising our coverage, I’ve greatly enjoyed the conversations we’ve had over the past year. As I have been selected to lead Technician for another year, our conversations do not have to end. Please continue to send me letters and comments to technician-editor@ncsu.edu.

Finally, I must express my deep gratitude to two groups of people, both of which have been integral to the success of Technician’s last volume.

First, to our readers. No newspaper or news organization would exist without the patronage and support from its readers. We exist to serve you. Every time I see a student reading our website or carrying a newspaper (even if it’s to do the crossword) it fills me with absolute joy. Thank you, readers.

Second, to our editors. Your hard work and commitment to serving the NC State community is appreciated so much. I know it’s often a thankless job, so let me take the time to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Especially to our graduating seniors, thank you for the time you’ve spent here dedicated to providing our students with quality content.

I have been selected to serve another year as your editor so this letter isn’t one of goodbyes. However, to the staff of Volume 98, it’s truly been an honor serving as your editor.

So here’s to our editors, here’s to our readers and here’s to Technician, an imperfect student newspaper with a high standard for content and a commitment to deliver the coverage our consumers need in a format they want.

Thank you all. I can’t wait to see what Volume 99 has in store.