On May 1, 2013, I was officially named the 2013-2014 Nicholls Worth editor-in-chief after a very long and stressful inner debate on whether or not I should take the job.
    Now, exactly one year later to the day, I can say taking this job is the best decision I have ever made in my life.
    I have met so many people over the past four years and experienced so many things that I know I never would have been able to do had I not worked at The Nicholls Worth.
    I would not consider my college experience a typical one. Often times I thought of myself working at this newspaper first and going to class on the side, rather than how it should be. I’ve had all too many eatless and sleepless nights because of “Nicholls Worth Worries” as well as some very scruffy stress-induced beards I officially dubbed “news o’ clock shadow.”
    Starting out as a reporter with no experience at all and eventually becoming a section editor before ever taking a mass communication class made my freshman year pretty hectic. On top of that, having a staff writer use his job to stalk and threaten the people he wrote stories on was not exactly how I envisioned my first year in college ending. But it did end eventually, as did the other three after that, and they went by a lot faster than I expected.
    Over my career at The Nicholls Worth, I have done just about everything there is to do. Having written, assigned, edited, designed, photographed, created, promoted and defended this paper and its staff countless times before, it was only logical that I finish my college career as its editor. Along with that new job title came many new challenges, the first being the fact that last year’s entire editorial staff was made up of graduating seniors. With the exception of two people working here today, the entire Nicholls Worth staff is made up of either first-year freshmen or first-time workers. On top of that, The Nicholls Worth moved to a new printing service, giving it a new page size and the opportunity to print in full color. This meant the entire paper would need to be redesigned from what it was for over 50 years. These changes meant that the next year would be a rebuilding one with a huge learning curve for both the staff and myself.
    This led to the most anxious summer of my life, worrying whether or not I would have a staff, let alone a paper. All that changed for our first workshop day-the first time I would ever meet my staff members in person. The ambition these men and women brought to this office was a breath of fresh air I have not had in a very long time. Each person was so exited to learn their role at the paper, and every single one of them exceeded any expectations I had. I remember sitting in my advisor’s office that afternoon and sharing a laugh at just how worried we were before that day.
    Fast forward a week and a 52-hour timesheet later to the night before the first paper would be published. This would be the first time anyone would see the new design aside from myself and a handful of people at the office. I worried just as much, if not more than I did before workshop. Would people like the new design? Did I overdo it? What will professional journalists think of it? Of course I thought the worst for everything. I even waited outside the Student Publications office that night so that I could be the first person to see a printed copy.
    The response was overwhelming. My desk was flooded with notes, my computer with emails and my phone with voicemails from people across campus saying how much they loved the new paper. It was a memory that I will never forget, along with the epic nap I took that Thursday afternoon to catch up on all the sleep I had lost.
With each week that passed came a new lesson for the staff and me. Whether I was being yelled at on the phone or literally having my life threatened by a student in my office for something we printed about a Facebook page, I learned from every single experience I had.
    This year has had its fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly, but there is no way I would have made it through a single week without the people that helped me along the way.
    To the staff, words honestly cannot express how proud I am of what you all made this paper become this year. While it’s easy for me to get the credit, you truly deserve it all because without you, this paper would be nothing. I set two goals for myself at this time last year:  one was to make sure we could still even have a paper, and the other was to make sure it could continue on once I left. I can honestly say that both of my goals have been met. I have no doubt in my mind that next year’s Nicholls Worth will be even better than this one.
    To Nicki Boudreaux, the director of student publications, advisor to The Nicholls Worth and my cousin, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me over the past four years. From offering me my freshman reporter job, to pushing me to write tough stories as a writer and make tough decisions as an editor, I have learned more from what you taught me than anywhere else. You gave me a chance, and I will never forget it.
For exactly seven and a half of my semesters spent at Nicholls, I have dreamt of this day-the day that I would finally be able to say, “Sure, I’m free on Tuesday night” or “Yeah, I can hang out this weekend and not have to transcribe a 45-minute long interview that I can barely hear.” Now I find myself sitting in my office during my final production night, reflecting on all the memories I have made in this place. From every chair race down the hall to every note posted for “Overheard in the Newsroom,” I will value every memory and friend I have made during my time here.
    From my humble beginnings writing “Ross’s Rockin’ Review,” to covering the announcement of a new Nicholls President, the 107 Nicholls Worth issues I have worked on for the past four years will always be a reminder of my time here. For the last sentence to the last article I’ll ever have published in this newspaper, I say thank you for all the memories.