As my two years here at Eastern come to a close, I am feeling both empty and excited. I am excited for the new chapter of my life, also known as graduate school, yet empty knowing I am leaving the place where I grew so much.  

I came to Eastern bright eyed and bushy tailed, especially after my boyfriend had broken up with me a few weeks prior. With that in mind, I decided to jump right in and overbook myself in any way possible.  

That included joining the staff at The News, which is one of the things I have loved being a part of since I arrived on campus two years ago. Since I am graduating next week, I thought I would properly say thank you to a few people.  

To the Admissions/Enrollment Management office. Thank you for giving (over-eager) me a job in your office. I know that it probably does not sound like it, but this job firmed my decision in what I want to do for the rest of my life.  

To the rest of The News Staff. While I may not have been an ideal candidate for the staff as an English major with no prior journalism experience whatsoever, thank you for having me.

This was never really a job to me, and I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to and for all of you.  

To my friends. I know I may be a little crazy, but I could not have done this without you. Thank you for being you. Please keep in touch. I promise I am never too busy for you; I am only a short ride away. You know who you are.  

To the Student Government Association. While this semester was not what we expected in the slightest, you all did an amazing job keeping the organization doing what it does best: advocating for the students.  

Thank you for having me this past year. I will miss the Wednesday night meetings dearly, but I know you all will continue to do great things and continue advocating for students.  

And finally, to the Eastern community. Thank you for letting me bring you news. Thank you for letting me tell you stories that would not have been told otherwise.  

Thank you for having faith in me as a writer, a reporter, a student, a tour guide and as a person. Thank you for letting me develop into the person, friend and future student affairs professional I was meant to be.  

Thank you for giving me the college experience I had. I entered a nervous junior who was scared that I would not make any friends, but I left with experiences and memories I would not trade for the world.  

And for that I’m grateful.  

Katja Benz is a senior English major and can be reached at kkbenz@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.