On the record, The Fordham Ram is Rose Hill’s weekly newspaper. On my resumé, it is a leadership position focused on content creation. On my calendar, it is Sunday night budget meetings and Tuesday production nights. On my to-do list, it is currently an overdue From the Desk draft (sorry, Opinion!). In the near future, it will be part of my past, a collection of memories from my undergraduate years.

Whether I am brave enough to face the impending reality or not, my remaining days at the Ram and Fordham are rapidly decreasing. The looming uncertainty of post-graduation life is intensifying. Introspection is inevitable. 

I have spent three rewarding volumes with the Ram, first as digital producer and now as digital director, but I am still not sure how best to define the Ram or qualify my experiences. There is no singular sentence that can capture our newspaper, though as my time on staff comes to an end, I will try my best. After three years of highly unscientific observation and personal analysis, I leave you with this list of some of the most important parts of The Fordham Ram.

1. The cricket, who may or may not have been manslaughtered (cricket-slaughtered?) in B-52 at the hands of two apologetic e-board members. May he always chirp in heaven. 
2. The 11” by 17” physical paper, which is printed and distributed to almost all buildings across campus every Wednesday. 
3. The crossword, an undeniable Ram favorite and my personal procrastination method of choice. 
4. www.thefordhamram.com. The website has finally become my friend since the death of our greatest mutual enemy, websheets, whom I battled against during Volumes 101 and 102.
5. The articles that unite the campus community through valuable information. 
6. The readers, who make our work meaningful. 
7. The writers. The Ram provides a welcoming space for writers of all skills, talents, strengths and experiences, and I continue to be impressed and motivated by our writers. The articles I have written have helped me enjoy writing, as well as embrace creativity and become closer to “Phineas & Ferb”.
8. Copy editors. Though I love you my dearest guardians of AP style, you will have to pry the Oxford comma out of my cold, lifeless hands. 
9. The Ram’s social media, which I have come to know intimately while on staff. There are very few things in life as thrilling as posting breaking news (especially before the Observer). To Kristen, who trained me well, Hunter, Collette and the newest members of our expanding digital team: thank you. 
10. B-52 and the Print Shop. Never the right temperature, but always the right vibe. The McGinley basement has two things to sustain me past midnight: room temperature pizza and entertaining people. B-52, with playlists that transcend boundaries and an endless supply of unexpected conversations, may leave you thinking differently about Sonic and Max Goof. The Print Shop is slightly less loud, but equally as chaotic and loved. There were many pandemic months that deprived us of the McGinley basement, as well as recent flooding which took down walls, but the spirit of the Ram remained, so I know it will survive much more.
11. The Ramily. To me, the most important part of The Fordham Ram is not tangible or accessible by URL. It’s not the words we write, arrange and edit or the place where we work. It is the impressive people who sacrifice hours in order to produce a newspaper every week. 

We are bonded by ink and friends by choice. You have converted me into a Pugsley’s fan and taught me to play chess with life-size pieces. Your authenticity has encouraged me to be bold, and your talents have taught me lessons. 

Thank you for the experiences, friends and opportunities. I am proud of the way we work together, and even more proud of the paper we produce.