To everyone reading this, I must mark the occasion for this article as my last contribution at The Mass Media as an undergraduate student of the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Since transferring here in the fall of 2014, I’ve been self-centered in terms of proving myself academically. I’m proud to say that I have done well. At the same time, I also see the importance of having a life outside of the classroom and workplace. One needs to be more welcoming of the joy that takes place in the real world post-graduation, not dreading it.

On another note, I have a confession I want to disclose: The lure of free pizza at the weekly meetings for The Mass Media newspaper was what drew me initially to becoming a contributing writer for the paper. Knowing I had something to offer the organization in terms of pitches, I knew I had dinner taken care of on Mondays, and I didn’t have to sit through night class hungry.

Thank you, Gabriel Sanchez. Thank you, Jessica Gorrell. Thank you, Jungwoo Sonn. Thank you, Bryan Peguero. Thank you, Dylan Porcaro. And last but not least, thank you to the Sports Editor, Sean McLean, for offering me the chance to be a great writer in a subject I’ve always been interested in. All of you have come to mind as being wonderful people—giving me a feeling of joy while balancing the school, social, and personal life in me.

Journalism will come to be a good fallback job for me. Sometimes, the motivation to work isn’t always the money: sometimes, it’s just as much about the passion. I cannot say enough how much fun it was to put together thoughtful and wonderful articles on every facet in the wide world of sports, knowing it will be in the annals of history for all times in this age of the Internet.

More emotionally, I want to give my thank you and goodbye to Donna Neal, who has held a caring passion in ensuring every student working in the various clubs and organizations at UMass Boston feels welcomed. You have made me feel like I belong as an outstanding collaborator that represents the colorful and diverse atmosphere of the student body.

Lastly, I want to thank you, the reader, for taking the time out of your day to read the articles that I, as well as the others, put together. You are part of the great audience we aim to convince. I will miss being a part of a great organization that has helped mold me into who I am today: someone who has to challenge himself to know how much better I can do in the wonderful world of life!

With that said, I say to all of you, farewell… and go Beacons!