A Farewell from Your Editor

Brittany Strother has been a member of the Concordian staff since Fall 2014.
We thank her for her dedication and wish her all the best.
Photo Courtesy of Brittany Strother.

It’s about that time of the semester. The weeks are winding down, Thanksgiving break is but a memory, and most college students are frantically finishing last minute projects and papers to get ready for finals week. Behind the anxiety brought on by a rigorous college schedule, there’s a glimmer of hope: the end of finals week brings the end of the semester, and a well-earned hiatus from classes and homework to enjoy the winter holidays. For some, that is. For others, the end of finals brings a different, more exciting, and infinitely more unknown adventure: graduation.

    As cliché as it sounds, it honestly feels like just a few weeks ago that I wandered onto Concord’s campus as a scared freshman, begging my parents not to leave me and clinging, petrified, to my friends that had come from the same high school as I. It’s funny to look back then and see how things have changed. 

    College hasn’t just been a chance to learn and find my path in life, it’s been a chance to grow and expand my horizons as a person. I’ve gone from an uncertain teenager with no clue what I even wanted to major in to a semi-functional twenty-something. I look around me at the people that I’ve encountered in my three and a half years here and can’t help but smirk at the memories, good and bad, associated with each. 

    Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make stupid decisions (within reason) and take the L sometimes. Be a good student, but absolutely take the time to be a good person, a good friend, and most of all, good to yourself. 

    College is a time where, at the end of the day, most of us only have one person in our corner no matter what, and that’s ourselves. Learn to depend on yourself, learn to trust yourself. Figure out what you want to see in the mirror and make it happen. Especially on a small campus like Concord, you have ample opportunities to join organizations, meet people, take various classes, and have unique experiences that will enrich your college experience and yourself as a person.

    I feel lucky to have studied at Concord, because I’ve had the opportunity to do things and meet people that I would have never had at another, larger school. Sure, I’ve had moments where I struggled and cried and said “I hate this place” to other struggling students, but at the end of the day, we all know we don’t really hate Concord. We hate rough days, we hate bad grades, we hate trying to find a parking spot. But we don’t hate Concord. Not even a little.

    I’m not sure if I’m ready for whatever happens after Concord. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up the life I’ve built in the tiny town of Athens. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up leadership of this newspaper, even though I have every confidence in my successor and I know that the Concordian will live and prosper for generations to come. But, like all things, ready or not, they still come.

    So, all of that being said, my last words to my fellow Concord students: have fun, be kind, and enjoy the moment for what it is. Farewell, Concord.