Over 50 bylines, a staff writer and an assistant sports editor position held, an internship in my desired field, dozens of cherished friendships and so many rewarding experiences that have all come my way thanks to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

This paper has truly done amazing things for me. I found a group of people who all share the same bizarre love of sports as I do. I found people so passionate about writing, determined to improve their skills and support those around them. I found an office full of infectious laughter and friendly faces. And most of all, I found my voice and a new sense of confidence and self-growth that has shaped me into who I am today.

And now it’s over.

It’s a harsh reality I’ve been ignoring since I wrote my last sports article. But now, I have no other choice but to face this truth as I take the time to reflect on what the Daily Collegian has meant to me over these past three years, even though I doubt words will do it justice.

I don’t know the type of person I would be if I didn’t walk inside the Student Union, Room 210, in the fall of my sophomore year. With no published byline to my name and having only been a journalism major for one semester, I didn’t know anyone in the paper nor what to expect.

Despite the overwhelming nerves I felt during my entire walk from Southwest to the Student Union on that September evening, I pushed myself to attend an all-staff meeting with the hopes that it would all come together.

I met with some of the then-current members of the sports section, who encouraged the small group of us hopeful writers to attend the upcoming sports meeting. From there, I was a frequent attendee of those nightly 7 p.m. meetings and started to meet the editors, the assistants and others in the section.

I was completely new to this, but I knew I was around so many brilliant writers. I was a sponge that continued to soak up everything those meetings had to offer, from quick writing tips to group activities and workshops.

That spring, I got my first beat assignment: men’s lacrosse. Even though I had never watched a lacrosse game in my life leading up to that moment, I spent the following days trying to immerse myself in the sport. Four published stories later of writing about a game, and I had been promoted from Collegian Correspondent to Collegian Staff.

I recall coming back to my dorm room in Patterson. One of my closest friends and roommate at the time and I celebrated my accomplishment. It was such a little thing to be as excited about as I was, but it meant the world to me. I truly felt like I was moving in the right direction.

The following fall in my junior year, I covered women’s soccer. Then, as we transitioned into winter sports, the staff took a chance with me, and I was placed on the men’s basketball beat. It was my first time on a major beat, and I had never been more excited and grateful for the opportunity.

The Minutemen had their highs of a historic 20-win season and the lows of an under-performing season to follow, but I was there for it all. During my two seasons of coverage, I published dozens of bylines and made frequent visits to the Mullins Center, from weeknights to early afternoons on the weekend.

I traveled to different arenas around New England and down the East Coast, even sitting courtside at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. for Atlantic 10 tournaments.

Covering UMass men’s basketball was an experience that developed me into the writer I am today, and I am forever thankful for it. It helped me reach a potential that I was only scratching the surface of when I first began writing. It led me to become more confident in my writing and my voice, and it helped me achieve an assistant editor role that has been integral to my growth.

No matter the late nights spent in the Mullins Center media room, to the woes of writer’s block and missing out on plans with friends in exchange for covering a game, I wouldn’t trade my experience with the Daily Collegian for anything.

After four years in Amherst — though it wasn’t perfect (life never is) — it all came together.

I will always cherish my time with the Daily Collegian. A huge thanks to all the current and past members who have helped me along my journey. This paper will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I know it has prepared me for the daunting unknowns that lie ahead as I leave the one place I have been so lucky to call home.

No matter what happens for the years to come, I do hope that at some point my future self can look back at this column, remember where I was at this point and confidently say to my past self…

It all came together.

Samantha Sands was an Assistant Sports Editor. She can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @samantha_sands_.