I never thought I would be writing this article: My second goodbye to the Ram. And since I’ve already done the overly sentimental goodbye, I have already thanked everyone who made an impact on my life and at the Ram, spanning four volumes, in what I thought was my final goodbye. And now in my fifth (and final) year on the Ram and at Fordham — there will be no shoutouts. I will just say that I love you all immensely, you truly are better than most. 

Since the pandemic pushed clubs to meet online, or not at all, it has been a huge process getting our entirely student-run journal of record operating back at full capacity. I will never forget the 8-hour copy zoom calls when we were producing in lockdown. But it made us stronger. We’ve worked harder, longer and better than we ever have before as a publication. I am proud and grateful to each and every staff member, writer and copy editor for all doing more than their part to keep our newspaper alive. We not only upheld an over-100-year-old tradition of a free press on Rose Hill’s campus, but we also ensured that The Fordham Ram, the university’s journal of record, will continue in print for years to come. So thank you again, to everyone at the Ram who helped get us back on our feet as the cultural pulse of Rose Hill. 

In college, we learn a lot from our professors, and rightly so. But I have learned so much more from my time at the Ram than I ever did in the classroom. And that is the power of extracurriculars. So my advice to all our readers is to get involved in something, it’s never too late to learn or try something new. It’s really easy to go through college and focus solely on school, partying or sports. Extracurriculars are more than just soft credits to pad your resume, they are also a chance to develop skills and interests outside of your academic studies. What’s more, they keep a lot of us sane throughout the semester as we balance midterms and papers and the like. I chose to get involved in the Ram, which has helped me develop as a person, a writer and a friend.

I never thought that I would get a second chance at the senior year that COVID-19 took away from so many of my peers. As a part-time, commuting, fifth-year senior I thought that I would be missing out on everything. Financially, I couldn’t swing a fifth-year living on campus, so I chose to commute from the sticks of New Jersey. I piled on the responsibilities just to see how much I could take. I work part-time at a local coffee shop, I have two remote unpaid internships and I drive into campus three times a week, twice for my two classes and once for the Ram. I dedicate an incredibly social and stressful Tuesday night to the Ram every week, even with the 1,001 other things I have on my plate. Even then, I knew I would miss out on some things, like all-nighters in the library studying for midterms and impromptu city Wednesdays. But the home I found at The Fordham Ram was something that I knew I couldn’t give up. 

I am so grateful for my fifth year. Not only is it saving my GPA by allowing me to take four classes over two semesters, but it has taught me so much about balancing my work and personal lives and prioritizing the things that make me happy. 

I am going to miss so much about the Ram. I’ll miss the weird smell B-52 has had since the great flood. I’ll miss the 5-hour sugar from all the copy table’s candy. I’ll miss the sweet baby angels who walk to the gym to refill multiple water bottles for the staff. I’ll miss the 8 p.m. hysteria, and the 11 p.m. dissociation. And of course, I’ll miss all of the laughs.

I’m happy it happened, but sad it’s ending.