The funny thing is I didn’t even want to work at Technician in the first place. For most of my freshman year, I was content with bouncing back and forth between class and home. I didn’t really make an effort to engage in campus life, at least not beyond hanging out with friends and playing games.

Then, a friend from high school told me that the paper was in need of writers and that they thought I would be a good fit since I was a creative writing major. I was skeptical; I’d never once considered journalism as a possibility. However, I decided I might as well see what it was like. And hey, getting an article in the paper would be cool.

More than three years and 150 articles later, I’m glad to say that joining the staff of Technician was the best decision I made in my time at N.C. State. More than any class I took or student group I joined, I never had more fun than on the third floor of Witherspoon.

It wasn’t perfect. There were long production nights when time seemed to stand still and ambitious packages that fell apart due to a new ad suddenly popping up. But the bad was  always outweighed by the good. I got to write about some of my favorite topics, help design some impressive layouts and meet many of the best friends I’ve made in college.

Speaking of which, it may be a bit self-indulgent — and who cares if it is, this is my farewell column — but I need to give a few quick shout outs. First, to Rich Lepore, the previous Arts & Entertainment Editor and the person who kept me motivated to return on a weekly basis.

Second, I have to thank Young Lee. We ran Features together this year and I was lucky to get to call him my partner. He’s a talented writer and someone I could always count on to pick up the ball when I fumbled it.

Lastly, I want to wish the incoming Features Editor, Will Brooks, the best of luck. Working with him this semester made it clear he was the best choice to take over not only the Features section, but Arts & Entertainment, the section I hold most near and dear. I know he’ll do a great job bringing creative ideas to the table.

Speaking of A&E, that’s the hardest part of leaving. I’ll see the friends I’ve made, hopefully keep writing wherever I end up for work and still get to talk to new and interesting people. But leaving Technician means leaving one of the best platforms of creativity I’ve so far been able to work in.

I was given a chance to write reviews on video games, movies and comic books on a regular basis. I got to help make designs I’ll still shamelessly show off years down the road. More than anything, though, I got to put forth my opinion on a wide variety of topics in the hopes that it would help show the student body where they could find entertainment.

I’ve written about some of my favorite shows and games in my time with Technician, subjects I have a genuine passion for. If someone else has read my work and discovered a passion for something they might never have otherwise, then all the long nights and troublesome interviews were worth it.

And if not, I still had an absolute blast.