To the graduating Spectator staff: You have been with me through it all. You guided me when I was a volunteer writer with a healthy fear of the editors I would soon call my friends. As a staff writer you encouraged me to pursue the stories that piqued my curiosity—and sometimes rage. You trusted me as the news editor to tailor the section to reflect the values of Seattle University, and now you have left the responsibility of the newspaper in my hands as incoming editor in chief.

I have moved rapidly from being a staff writer, to news editor, to incoming editor in chief all within one academic year and I want to thank all of you who have equipped me with the tools to handle this exciting, and sometimes heavy, role.

Joe Brand: I doubt I will be able to find your special brand of wit and sass anywhere else. Maggie Molloy: Your earnest passion for the arts is inherent within your accomplishments both within and outside of the newspaper. Sierra Houk: Your work ethic and talent never cease to impress me. Harrison Bucher: Thank you for your consistency and enthusiasm with the stories you wrote throughout the years. Alyssa Brandt: Thank you for your ability to materialize even the most insane design requests. Bianca Sewake: Your constructive advice has helped me with more than just my writing. Mason Bryan: Thank you for continuously pushing me to challenge my assumptions and ask the tough questions. To Caroline Ferguson: You contributed greatly to my deeper understanding of the implications in gendered and racial writing.

Thank you all for being my colleagues, mentors, and friends. Thank you for empowering me to use my words to lift up the voices of the those less heard, for giving me confidence to pursue the stories that need attention, and giving me the tools to handle this new role. Seattle University is about educating the whole person—for me, you have contributed immeasurably to that end.

Farewell, ‘Tator tots.

—Melissa Lin, News Editor, Incoming Editor in Chief