I’ve waited until the very last minute to write this senior column. As Head Opinion Editor, I’m in charge of organizing the submissions and editing of these columns. I’m writing this after the due date that I SET (Sorry to my fellow seniors for harping on you to submit your columns; I’m a hypocrite, I know).

Maybe I’m absolutely dreading the thought of this being the final column I publish in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, which has shaped my life for the last three years.

Maybe I can’t bear to think of my upcoming graduation from the University of Massachusetts, which creeps closer and closer with each passing minute. I know the old saying – time flies when you’re having fun – but why do the days have to end as soon as they begin?

At the end of the day, it’s probably a combination of the two, mixed with a large serving of fear at the idea of not being around the people who have made the last four years the best of my life.

And what a comeback, too, after my fellow seniors and I’s freshman year was completely overtaken by the effects of the pandemic. Hell, we’re probably the first class of graduates in history to collectively graduate with only three full years of true college experience – our first semester being wiped out completely and our second being restricted to no end.

The funny thing is that spring semester in 2021 was the most fun I had ever had. Sharing the third floor of Pierpont with 15 like-minded individuals who had the collective goal of flouting the regulations imposed on us and making the absolute best of a horrible situation is something I’m grateful for and I’ll never forget.

The best part? Each semester got better and better, and these friendships – and new ones that were forged in my sophomore and junior years – have been maintained up until now. It’s a guarantee that I can walk into Stackers on a Thursday at midnight and find someone awesome, someone I’ve known for years, to face the music of getting pushed around by hundreds of drunk strangers and getting your drink spilled on your shirt together.

At this point in writing – which I’m forcing myself to get done before 1 p.m. today (it’s currently 12:38 p.m.) – I feel pretty dumb for not talking about joining the Collegian, which was the best decision I could have ever made. This little student-run paper taught me that, if possible, I should ensure every job I have in the future includes working with the best people in the world.

There’s something so amazing about having our little office open to come in and hang out with whichever random assortment of people are in there at the time. After an extremely boring class, waking up super late, when I want to get some work done – or not do work at all – I knew the Collegian office was a safe space to be completely myself and feel comfortable doing whatever I felt like. The work that I was able to accomplish with these amazing people by my side was immense. Paramount among these accomplishments was coordinating the fantastic columns that Opinion writers had published throughout the year, including the incredible content in our first-ever print magazine (shameless plug!).

I couldn’t have done it without my incredible assistants by my side. I know Manas, Asha, Juliette and Zach are going to do a fantastic job leading the section next year – I’m particularly excited to see what kind of insane stories Manas approves next year as head editor without me to rein him in (I know you’re editing this, Manas, I jest!).

I didn’t expect this to turn into a shout-out fest, but now that we’re on the topic, I’d like to give a particular shout-out to editor-in-chief Luke Ruud, who has become one of my closest friends and chief instigators. Whether it’s moving me down a spot on the Luke Rankings or looking at my cards while I leave the room during Shotgun Idiot, the memories we’ve made won’t be soon forgotten.

It’ll be big shoes to fill now that Luke is graduating, but I know the next editor-in-chief, Caitlin Reardon, will do that and then some. Led by Caitlin, the entire Collegian staff next year is in great hands, and I know they will maintain the great foundation that our graduating class has put in place.

Decades from now, my memories of this whole college experience may be a little fuzzy. Some names will be forgotten, experiences wiped away to the passage of time. But I know for a fact that there will be certain snapshots of my time at UMass that will be etched in my memory forever.

Playing video games, watching niche TV shows and the constant bantering that came with living with my best friends for two years in a row.

Cherishing a steaming hot CBR slice from Antonio’s at 1:30 a.m.

Looking up into the sky and admiring the stars that make up our little region of the world in western Massachusetts.

Now I’m checking the clock and seeing that it’s 1:01 p.m., past my self-imposed deadline. This is pretty out of character for me; I’m typically quite punctual, as Caitlin can tell you based on my incessant nagging to be on time for our class this semester. Deadlines, in class and in the Collegian, have been consistently met.

But at this point, what does a deadline matter? I’m graduating soon. This is one deadline I’m willing to put off for as long as possible – but the problem is, there’s no extensions allowed. The only thing left to do is submit our work and hope for the best. Shall we?

Luke Halpern was the Head Opinion Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].