This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Someone like me — an autistic STEM burnout with the soul and spinal health of an 80-year-old farmer — isn’t supposed to succeed in a journalism industry centered around personality and self-promotion. I came to NC State in 2018 with zero journalism experience but all the determination in the world to be the best I can be, whether that’s sports writing or singing or playing Go. As it turns out, a little support and a lot of hard work is all it takes for people like me to succeed.

Growing up in Reidsville, North Carolina, I didn’t get the kinds of opportunities that kids from Raleigh or Charlotte did. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t, because I now have a greater appreciation for everything sports journalism has to offer. After all, in my opinion, this is the most fun career in the world.

When I covered NC State baseball in the 2021 College World Series, the sky was literally the limit when I boarded an airplane for the first time in my life. I worked in the same press box as some of baseball’s best and brightest writers. When I volunteered to resume Technician’s coverage of the Carolina Hurricanes, I never imagined how much ice hockey would grow on me, eventually becoming my second-favorite sport (sorry, baseball will always be on top).

I didn’t know a puck from a hole in the ground when I first started covering hockey, just that it looked really cool and there was a really good team nearby. The same can be said about my start in sports journalism as a whole.

I remember walking into the Student Media office one day as a freshman and anxiously waiting for nearly half an hour for someone who could get me started writing in the sports section. As it turned out, Andrew Schnittker was right there the whole time (in a Chiefs jersey, of course) and practically flew out of his chair to get the proper paperwork when I finally spoke up.

The beginning of a lifetime of stick-and-ball games quickly followed. Baseball and hockey are my favorite sports so I quickly took a shine to covering those. But, just like in life, there were growing pains.

I’d never written journalistically before coming to NC State, so learning the style and syntax took a lot of time. Learning to speak up in post-game interviews was an even bigger challenge. I generally like to keep to myself in my day-to-day life, so interviewing student-athletes — who I still generally hold in higher regard than myself and my position — was a seemingly impossible task.

Thankfully, several TechSports alumni helped me along the way. Andrew, his brother Nicholas Schnittker and Camden Speight were great examples of what a sports editor should be. They, along with TechSports alumni Jaylan Harrington, Tristan Tucker, Alec Sawyer and Ryan Henkel set the example for me to try to carry on the section’s legacy.

Even as sports editor, there’s no way I could make it to this point without the continued support from Editor-in-Chief Shilpa Giri, Managing Editors Wade Bowman and Sam Overton as well as everyone else I just mentioned. Going forward, I’m confident that Ben Ellis, Ethan Bakogiannis and whoever else comes after me will keep up the good work here at TechSports.

Outside the office, my family is another major influence on my life; I couldn’t have possibly made it this far without them. My mom and dad gave me full support from the day I decided to go all-in on sports journalism, with my sister Morgan and brother Cason cheering me on as well. I couldn’t have made it without y’all.

Most of all, I’m forever indebted to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I rediscovered my faith during some very tough times while at NC State. It carried me through so many dark days and a mental health crisis that sidelined me for over a month. Frankly, I don’t know if I’d still be among the living without Jesus.

So many more people helped me get to where I am today. Y’all’s support in my development as a writer, editor, leader and person is not only irreplaceable, but also allowed me to avoid writing about myself — an activity I detest — for four whole paragraphs.

The fact of the matter is that none of what I’m writing about is about me. Not this article, not any other article I’ve ever written, not holding the sports editor position — none of it. In my earliest days with Technician, I discovered one of my favorite parts of being a sports writer is seeing an article go up on Twitter or Facebook and get likes from a student-athlete’s parent or sibling or hometown friend. For me, that’s what it’s all about: facilitating that connection between people often geographically separated by hundreds of miles.

As my time at Technician winds down, I don’t really know what the future holds. I know I’m going to work professionally as a sports writer, but the job search is just beginning. Regardless, one thing is certain.

I’m grateful to go along for the ride.