There will always be wise words that stick with me, found on a cement wall at some random bar, “Journalism is the sexiest way to be poor.” And that’s really what it is.

In my experience being a journalism major with a sports concentration , I can safely say I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. To many, it may just sound like I enjoy talking about sports with people on air or something generic like that. That is true, of course. It’s a dream profession of mine, and that’s the reason I declared as a journalism major.

Through what the University of Massachusetts has given me, I’ve been able to learn about a plethora of aspects of the journalism profession and find an appreciation of all of them. Beat writing and reporting, radio broadcasts, streaming and television broadcasts, social media content, feature writing, video and content creation, sports and news production, script writing, anchoring and more. I would be happy doing most, if not all of these, as a career in the near or distant future.

But what I think makes this major so unique, especially at UMass, is the people I am surrounded by. No other major provides the sense of family and togetherness that ours does. It’s almost poetic, as if we all have brotherhood and sisterhood playing for the same team. Everyone provides the fuel that their friends and colleagues need, recognizes each other’s accomplishments and shortcomings and only wants to help each other succeed. It’s also just fun doing what you love, no matter how poor we may all be when we get our entry-level jobs.

A family, an accepting space and a group of individuals who are all motivated beyond belief to let their voices be heard. That’s everything that the culture of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian succeeds at being. I only wish I could have been a part of this longer.

The biggest thing the pandemic took away from me was my time on campus. I’ve always been one of the older kids in my class, but with COVID-19 putting a big slash right through my sophomore and half of my freshman year, I wake up every single day thinking I wish I could turn back the clock. I wish that I could have one more year, one more day or one more minute here at UMass with my friends doing the things I love.

I may have only been on the Collegian staff since the beginning of my final year here, but I’ve always appreciated the people that it brought into my life. Sophie Weller, who officially recruited me over the summer, was my closest friend when I started covering UMass hockey games with WMUA, and I have her to thank for bringing me to this paper. I got to cover women’s soccer and learn a lot about beat writing and reporting along the way, and she served as a great mentor for me.

There will be a lot of shoutouts in here, so hopefully, I don’t overdo it, but I could not go without them in a column like this. I’m graduating with plenty of people that I know will succeed, but not many are like Colin McCarthy. When you think of the Collegian, you think of him. He personifies what a sports journalist is, and I’ve always envied that, and that wasn’t even what he came to UMass to study. No one has a more dominant voice in a room than him, and I’m going to miss that.

They both made covering UMass hockey that much more fun, along with plenty of others. Matt Skillings will always be someone I love to joke around and make memories with, and I’m glad he joined the crew this year. I knew quickly after meeting him that he would become “one of the boys,” along with being a talented beat writer, and it’s upsetting that I will have only known him for one year during my time here. The same goes for Sydney Ciano, who I know can do anything she sets her mind to. I have not met many people who are as sure-minded, composed and driven as her. The sky is the limit for both.

I may not have written a lot of pieces here, but I must thank our monumental sports editor, Lulu Kesin, for assuring me that my role in the office was never in doubt. I’ve seldom met people who work as hard as she does, which is so inspiring, and she deserves every big opportunity she gets in the future. Even though she’s irreplaceable, I know Johnny Depin will do a great job in her place next year. Johnny is a very compassionate writer and person, and everyone always enjoys his company, including myself. Joey Aliberti, my friend, is destined to succeed in doing whatever he desires. There may not be a more versatile and likable guy in this major, and I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks that.

Kayla Gregoire quickly became one of my all-time closest friends in the almost two years that I’ve known her, and she continues to inspire me still. It’s hard for many to fathom that she is just a sophomore with the resume she has both at the Collegian and other outlets, which I can only imagine will grow tenfold up until she graduates. I’ve learned so much from her about sports as a whole and have improved my writing skills with her help more than anyone else. She is one of the hardest people to not want to root for and one that I will miss hanging out with almost daily.

There’s so much hard work put into this paper. Even as more of a broadcaster, the effort that every section of the paper puts in never goes unnoticed. I wish I could thank even more people because that’s what it’s all about for me. Meeting people, connecting, and building relationships that all have meaning, both deep and shallow. Working with everyone in different capacities through class and student journalism helped all of us grow and has shaped the person I am today.

Leaving all these fantastic people on May 26 will hurt my soul, but the memories made with them will never be forgotten. Wherever I go next, I know I have plenty of peers to reach out to if I need, and everyone else here should know that I would never ignore their messages. This team is one that I will always be a part of, and it makes me truly proud to be a Minuteman.

Thank you and much love,

Scottie Marro

Scottie Marro can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @scottiemarro.