I am writing this line down as I am sitting in the new Hoot room in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) with a bunch of very loud people chit-chatting around me. I just finished training my new deputy editor—the second and last time I have done this. In less than 24 hours, I will be forever done with undergraduate education. I will commit my last few weeks at Brandeis into my senior art show and capstone paper, and then say farewell to art and writing for a long while.

Compared to most people in this room, I joined The Hoot relatively late in my second semester sophomore year. I spent my freshman year in another continent that has a 12-hour time difference with the United States completely on Zoom, so I wasn’t involved with any clubs and organizations. Coming to campus in person in my sophomore year, after experiencing unwelcoming behavior from the other student publication, I found The Hoot to be a very welcoming community. I was surprised to see Sasha Skarboviychuk ’22, the editor-in-chief at that time, still remembered someone who just dropped by production night once a semester ago. After being reintroduced to The Hoot’s community, I was put in touch with Victoria Morrongiello ’23, who introduced me to the Features section. I did not know what section I loved the most as I was contributing to every section besides arts (sorry arts editors), but when I received Victoria’s text that said I would be a great fit for Features next semester, I knew where I belonged. 

Four years ago, I had no idea I would want to work at a newspaper, major in art at college and actually enjoy Brandeis—I was seriously considering transferring at some point in my freshman year. However, I can confidently say I’ve done so many cool things and met so many amazing people here. 

Thanks to Brandeis, I created my own major, Applied Visual Studies, which was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in undergrad. I was able to study abroad twice in Europe. I was able to hold a conversation in Italian. I was able to paint in a private studio and have my paintings up in an art show. Thanks to The Hoot for giving me the opportunity to rant about why I hate cinnamon and chant about why I love boba. I could never have imagined sitting down and speaking to directors of all the departments, offices and organizations on campus four years ago. I never knew I would enjoy doing work with a crowd of extremely loud people every Thursday night. I never thought that one day, as a non-native English speaker, I would be training and editing articles for other native speakers. I am more than proud to say that I am working for the best student publication on campus as its only international student—yes I actually put that on my MBA application essay.

Three months from now, I will be on my own in Wisconsin, working full-time as a boring corporate adult. I probably will never be able to do that cool stuff again, but I will never forget what has shaped me into who I am today. Thank you to the International and Global Studies department, the Fine Arts and Art History departments and the Italian Studies department. Thank you to the amazing editorial board of The Hoot, you made this paper somewhere that I am comfortable writing about what I care about and who I am. Thank you to all the writers I have worked with. Thank you to all the students, staff, professors and leaders who sat down for an interview with Features and allowed us to get a sneak peak of what you all are passionate about. 

After countless pain, rants, tears, inside jokes, and core memories we share, it’s time to sing our final farewell to Brandeis. Congratulations to the class of 2024, 我们在一起的日子都是好日子，我们待过的地方都是好地方。