By ALLI SCHIEBER, Editor-in-Chief
Goodbyes are always hard, but this one was unexpectedly hard.
When I came to Northwestern as a freshman it was not my first choice, I got waitlisted then accepted for the spring semester at another university.
I planned on transferring there eventually but quickly realized that Alva was somewhere I wanted to be.
There are many reasons I fell in love with both Northwestern and Alva, but I think the main reason is the people. My first semester I made a few friends and tried to be involved whether it was studying for news reporting with Tara and Kristen or attending events, I wanted to connect with people.
This is probably one of the reason community is one of the values I cherish most.
When I look back at my time at Northwestern I feel grateful. While here I was able to meet some of my best friends, work with some amazing people, and constantlty learn and grow, even outside of class.
Freshman year I joined Delta Zeta, and this organization has brought me so many things from my best friends to new life experiences I would have never seen possible.
Bethany, who joined DZ the same time I did, has been there with me through it all the rough times and the good times. I am glad to have met her through DZ and will always cherish my friendship with her.
Nahi, who I may not see everyday or talk to all the time but, has taught me so much, such as, how to handle a tough situation with grace.
I will never forget whenever we had our DZ dance and we both had a lot of homework, so we sat there chatting and doing homework almost the entire time.
Jerika, who has been a mentor to me through all these years and is someone I will continue to look up to too.
Now to the three girls I have recruited and my best friends.
Sarah, I may have just met you last semester, but I am so thankful you joined DZ, you are such a light, and I honestly do not know what I would do without you.
I love our chats in JD whether in the news or DZ room and I cannot wait to watch you grow throughout your years at NWOSU.
Jessica, I know you are not only my DZ sister but also my biological sister. However, I am so happy you joined and have gotten to see why I love both DZ and Northwestern so much.
Jamie, madam president, I am so glad I was able to recruit you last fall and am so proud of the things you have done and continue to do.
Both in DZ and just in general, you are the most supportive friend I have ever had, and I am going to miss seeing your smile every day.
I can’t wait to cheer you on in your last two years of college even if I won’t be there for all the Walmart trips, coffee runs and late-night rants. I am so lucky to be able to call you, my friend.
Lastly, Doc, you are our advisor for DZ and have been since my second semester at NWOSU.
I have so many things to thank you for that I could never type them all, so I will start with this, thank you for always pushing me to be my best and pushing me out of my comfort zone.
Without you I would never have gotten to go to Dallas or Orlando with DZ and I would not have gone by myself. I will forever and always cherish our adventures and hope that even though I am graduating there will still be more.
Delta Zeta is obviously not the only reason I stayed at Northwestern while I found my friends I also found my passion. I have realized I love marketing and want to market for sports team one day, which is what inspired me to be a mass communication major. I also realized I love capturing memories through photos. Photography is something I have always loved but working with the newspaper and in classes I have realized it is something I really enjoy.
Northwestern News has taught me a lot of things like it’s not always easy being the leader although sometimes it is fun.
To the current Northwestern News staff, I want to say you are doing great and I cannot wait to see you all continue to work hard next year.
To Dr. A, thank you for guiding me, believing me and teaching me AP style. You have been the best advisor and don’t worry, I will stay in touch.
This university has taught me a lot and most people will probably never understand just how grateful I am for NWOSU or why I am so grateful but, if you stay here for four years maybe you will realize what all NWOSU has to offer.
Lastly, I would like to say to anyone who is not graduating yet , enjoy it, you are only a college student once so enjoy it as much as you can.
I know that tests and finals are stressful or that sometimes being in Alva can be boring but take advantage of events the dorms or clubs are hosting and just make the most of it.
With that this is my last article for the Northwestern News and I cannot wait to walk across the stage in a couple of weeks, Ride Rangers Ride.
How campus has changed in four years
Campus has changed in several ways since I was a freshman four years ago.
Some of these things have been bigger and more monumental than others
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One of the biggest ones was the renovation of South Hall and the changing of its name to now be Cunningham Hall.
If you were here two years ago during this you probably remember how crazy it was when Coronado became a co-ed dorm temporarily. One of the smaller things that have changed include the Just Baked Kiosk that was installed this year.
The outdoor classroom, renovation and renaming of the Fellers Family Auditorium, the track practice field being built and the softball field getting turf are some of the other things that has happened in my time here. The outdoor classroom was added last spring and makes a good place for students to study and get away from their dorm.
One thing remains the same though, no matter how long you have been here or if you went to school here 50 years ago.
The people here have always and I hope will always be filled with Ranger Spirit and you can certainly be proud to be a Ranger no matter for how long you were one. Take time to notice the little things that change like when they repaint the red stairs or if a floor has changed over the summer and be grateful that this university is preparing for many more generations.