"Thank you for teaching me how to be vulnerable and giving me the grace to do so. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes, the hardest things are the most worthwhile. Thank you for believing in me the times I struggled to believe in myself."
"Yet another feeling is purpose. The DTH gave me a chance to be a part of something bigger than myself — a chance to feel like I’ve served our community in some small way by simply helping to vet stories for inaccuracies and good-ol’ AP style."
"But the DTH has constantly served as a place where it’s okay that I’m still learning. We all are. It’s okay to be a little stressed, a little messy and a little bit closer to being a grown-up child than an adult."
"I never would’ve made the decision to pursue journalism without the people I worked with. I doubt I would’ve even applied for that job. The DTH office isn’t redeemed by its comforting and peaceful energy, nor its snack selection. It’s redeemed by the people inside it."
"To the people close to me, to Chapel Hill and to a student newspaper of a supposedly 'dying' industry, thank you for being 'so love' and helping little Hunter make the most of his dream."
"It’s time these conversations turn into action, and hiring a more diverse newsroom becomes the absolute precedence. An editor should not be writing about this in their 2028 farewell column."
"We fell down a lot, and we also fought like hell to get back up. To get back to the good parts — the ones that make your heart feel light, right before the drop and the scream and the hands in the air."
"It can feel like life or death sometimes, but at the end of the day, it’s not your job to fix all of the DTH’s issues. Take the best things you can from it and hold those experiences close — I know I will."
"And it’s funny because even as I look back, lamenting some moments of struggle within the DTH, here I am almost a year later, wishing I could’ve contributed more."
"And I do represent Carolina. I represent the one in three women that are sexually assaulted on this campus. I represent the intelligent young women who come into this institution to study and accomplish great work, only to be exorcized of all morale, their diplomas inked with pain and fear. I also represent the lucky ones; the women who barely come out of that pain alive."
"Before I short-circuit my keyboard with my tears, it’s time to say farewell with my parting gift: my very own Office DJ playlist, in honor of all of the students I’ve had the privilege of working alongside in the last four years."
"And lastly, a thank you to the DTH, for not only giving me a home, but for letting me chase my journalism dreams one more time. I don’t think I’ll know how much I’ll miss you until I’m gone."
Black Ink taught me how to be a writer, the Daily Tar Heel trained me how to be a reporter and the Raleigh News & Observer showed me how to be a professional.
"The guilt of leaving this place will continue to haunt me, even after I am gone, but it is because of that sinking feeling, I know I have made my time in this beautiful town worthwhile."
"I was voted biggest Taylor Swift fan in the office last year, so it’s only fitting that I explain these last four years through her songs."
Digital Managing Editor Will Melfi reflects on his time at UNC.
Editorial Managing Editor Brandon Standley is leaving The Daily Tar Heel — armed with wisdom, Taylor Swift lyrics and an emotional playlist.
With one final byline, University Desk senior writer Cynthia Dong shares some secrets about UNC — and The Daily Tar Heel.
Opinion Editor Paige Masten says goodbye to The Daily Tar Heel.
Nathan Wesley says farewell to a self-enlightened piece of his heart as he leaves the Daily Tar Heel to discover his next journey in life.
