For the seniors at The Post, the year certainly did not end how we expected it to or hoped it would. We missed our many lasts and celebrations we had been looking forward to all year. However, we would not have traded these last four years at Ohio University and The Post for anything.
In the academic year’s final print edition, a few of our seniors want to say farewell and thank you to parents, friends and all of our readers who have supported us. We could not have done it without all of you.
Taylor Johnston, digital managing editor
When I visited Ohio University for the first time, I picked up a copy of the tab in Baker. Flipping through the pages made me so excited to graduate from high school and move to campus so I could finally get started in the next chapters of life. Little did I know this chapter, especially the part where I joined The Post, would gain me so many friendships, teach me the ins and outs of the field, allow me to explore career options and most importantly, be a second home to me.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me – my family, who pushed me to do my best and to work hard, and Aimee Edmondson and Juan Thomassie, you showed me the world of data and its importance in journalism.
I wish my senior year didn’t end in the midst of a pandemic, but I will still cherish the memories and experiences I have endured these last four years.
Matt Parker, sports editor
I’m asked one last time for The Post to effectively paint a scene in as few words as possible but with the best words. It only feels like yesterday where I covered my first event for this paper. An intrasquad baseball scrimmage where Ohio won and the Bobcats lost (ba dum tss). From the moment on, I knew that The Post was going to become a second home to me.
There’s been a lot of laughs along the way, a lot of frustrations, a lot of failures. But there’s also been a lot more good moments, and those are moments that will last with me for the rest of my life. I can’t thank every single person that deserves a thank you from me. I probably owe more thank yous than I even realize.
For the last time, I’ll jokingly add one of my favorite euphemisms from these last four years: “Shut up, sports!”
Logan Moore, news reporter
I remember taking my first journalism class, JOUR1330 with Nerissa Young, and thinking, “Wow, I will never be able to memorize the entire AP Style Guide.” But let me tell you, it’s possible when you work for The Post. Aside from the massive amounts of experience gained through the paper, I’ve met my best friends through this organization and learned so much about myself in the process. For that, I am so grateful.
Thank you Nerissa Young for teaching me that some of the hardest moments are the best places to learn. Thank you to my parents for pushing me so hard to further my passions, and thank you to my best friends at The Post! And most importantly, thank you to our readers in Athens and beyond!
Rilee Lockhart, art director
I joined The Post as a freshman, literal days after I got to OU. At the time, I was thinking, “This will be something good to put on my resume and a cool thing to do a couple days of the week.” If only I had known that this would become a community I felt I belonged in and a family I feel deeply indebted to. I can’t imagine having a college experience without The Post, for better or worse.
I want to thank the people that helped me throughout these years, especially my boyfriend, Nathan, who put up with me coming home at 3 a.m. on Wednesdays when we had to make the paper, my mom who listened to all my frustrations and stress about getting things done on time and being good enough and my VisCom professors, who encouraged me to do my best work throughout these four years.
Leaving now seems surreal, but I would not trade my past four years in Athens for anything in the world. OU, The Post and Athens will always hold a special place in my heart.
Maggie Campbell, news reporter
I never thought I would go to school out-of-state when I was in high school. After a visit to Ohio and a meeting with Dr. Stewart, I knew it was the place for me. Nerissa Young, my adviser freshman year, made me feel at home during BSO. Andy Alexander, one of my earliest mentors, helped me choose The Post as one of the places I could call home at Ohio.
Through The Post, I have met wonderful people and incredible reporters. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities given to me and the encouragement I have received from editors over the years.
Thank you to my mom and dad for helping me to get to Ohio countless times and always encouraging me. Thank you to my friends within The Post and outside of The Post for always encouraging me and providing a shoulder to cry on. Thank you to Dr. Stewart and Andy Alexander for encouraging me to attend OU and always providing excellent guidance. Thank you to Nerissa Young for your support and love over the last four years. Thank you to Dr. D and all the other journalism faculty who guided me through my time at Ohio University as well.
I wouldn’t have traded these past four years for the world. To The Post, write on, and continue to make me and the other alums proud.
Kevin Pan, slot editor
It’s an understatement to say the last four years I’ve spent in Athens have been the greatest four years of my life. I walked into The Post newsroom my first week here on campus and met what ended up becoming a group of people that is as close to me as family.
I don’t even know what to say now that I’m leaving. How do you say goodbye to a world you feel like you’ve known your whole life, a world where everything just feels right? There’s no real way to do it, I guess. You just gotta be happy that times like Homecoming exist, so it’s never a permanent goodbye.
One of the greatest feelings in the world is making a road trip back to Athens after some time away and rounding the final bend to see campus come into view. Athens is a magical place, and I won’t ever forget that. I’m grateful for every minute I’ve had in this town, and I’ll never forget all the great people I’ve met. Every fest, every party, every late night in the newsroom and every late night on Court Street are all memories that never can and never will be replaced. Although my senior year was cut short, I’m happy I was able to live life to the fullest the three-and-a-half years before.
Thank you, Athens, for everything. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. See you next time.
Anthony Poisal, sports editor
The Post has given me everything I asked for since my first days as a freshman living inside Washington Hall and having little idea about what to expect with college life. Because of The Post, I’ve made close friends, covered just about every Ohio University sport and have been given a path for a career in sports journalism.
I was always proud to call myself a “Postie,” and now I’ll be proud to graduate into the massive group of alums who have never forgotten where their journalism careers started, too.
George Shillcock, news reporter and podcaster
The biggest mistake I made in college wasn’t doing bad in a class, sleeping in or even the many times I spent neglecting my responsibilities in favor of having a social life. Put simply, it was not joining The Post the moment I stepped on campus as a freshman journalism major.
“Better late than never” is an apt expression for me in this situation. I missed out on over a year of stellar journalism, opportunities at getting mentored by some of the best journalists at OU and really the chance to make some more friends. The tragedy of it all is that while I did make the most of my three years creating podcasts and covering breaking news and politics, it has all been cut short. I’ll never know what those last two months as an OU senior will feel like, culminating in that final walk across the stage and getting that real “I graduated from college” feeling.
Pursuing this degree at this college was probably the smartest decision I had made in life up to my freshman year. Athens has given me a place I can call home, lifelong memories with people I will call friends for decades to come and the experience of a lifetime living and learning what it means to be a Postie, a SMO guy, a New Chord and a Bobcat.
Until next time Athens. Thank you for everything.
