To our Technician readership,

My name is Alec Sawyer, and I’ve served as one of your assistant sports editors for the last two school years. I say “your” on purpose because that’s the whole point of this: to serve the NC State community. That’s the most important thing, and it’s something I feel that I, along with the rest of our editorial staff, have done well over the past couple of years.

I’ve been blessed beyond belief to have had my time here at Technician, and this news organization is something that I will always cherish and will forever be a part of me. What started as a thought of “oh, that might be fun to do,” has turned into a passion that has changed my life forever. I never imagined spending anytime at a student newspaper, let alone three full years. But, here I am, saying goodbye after serving at this organization for the better part of my college career.

I’ve been afforded tremendous opportunities with Technician: I’ve covered an ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, travelled into Death Valley for a football game, watched NCAA Tournament basketball, soccer and baseball and just this semester had the opportunity to sit courtside at Cameron Indoor Stadium as a member of the working media. I’m incredibly humbled by those opportunities.

When I started as an editor this time two years ago, Andrew and I set some goals: to start up a podcast and devote more time, resources and attention to the smaller sports at NC State. Our podcast, First and Tech, is running strong after two full years, and our devotion to covering every sport at NC State has grown exponentially, thanks mostly to our incredible staff of talented, devoted writers who have made our jobs so much easier. 

A quick example: During the 2017 season, Technician published just eight stories about the NC State softball team. Last year, that number grew to 39 and this year it is at 42 and counting. That’s just softball, but it’s a trend that applies to any smaller sport on NC State’s campus, and it is something that I am incredibly proud of. The student newspaper should serve its community by covering every sport, and I feel we have done that.

Now, my time with Technician comes to an end, and I’m so thankful for the countless hours I’ve spent on the third floor of Witherspoon Student Center. This job has made me a better person, has forged some greater friendships than I ever imagined possible and is incredibly hard to leave behind.

This paper is in good hands with an incredibly talented editorial board taking over a new volume, Technician’s 100th, and I cannot wait to see Technician continue to grow and continue to serve the NC State community.

Thanks for reading,

Alec