It is so hard to believe that this is the end. 

I still remember the day I decided that The Foreword was something I wanted to pursue. In my sophomore year, at the start of my second semester, I sat at my dining room table during online school with a decision to make. Little did I know, it would be one of the most influential of my life.

To fill out my second semester schedule, I had one more elective I needed to select. In the end, I opted to take Journalism 1, the precursor class some students take before they become full-time writers for the paper. I didn’t know much about The Foreword at the time, but I would learn a lot very fast. 

I quickly realized that I had a passion for writing, something I never knew I had. After all, I hated having to write essays for other classes, most of which I had completed at 2am the night before they were due.

But this was different. 

I was swiftly realizing just how much I liked to write, particularly about Pittsburgh sports, the thing I knew most about. 

And over my career writing for The Foreword, my story can ironically be told in a similar light as some of the players I’ve followed or written about over my time on the paper. 

I was fortunate enough to have a few of my articles published during my time in Journalism 1, a taste of what the “big leagues” were, if you will, while I was still growing and developing more as a writer. 

In my junior year, I became a full time member. I was still developing, but now it was time to make the jump to the next level, as so many of my favorite athletes did over their careers. 

Being mainly the only sports writer on that year’s staff, the first staff in decades to have no seniors, I sort of fell backwards into the role of Sports Editor, a title I wore like a badge of honor. 

I had the time of my life kicking around ideas and experiencing the livelihood of conversations we as writers would have, something that would continue into my senior year on the paper. 

Scheduling conflicts and the classes of other editors’ meant that I was suddenly taking on a much bigger leadership role on the paper, something I enjoyed every minute of. I still retained my role as the Sports Editor, just as The Foreword had an influx of sports writers, assembling a sports staff that could make the folks over at The Athletic envious. 

My senior year, I think, was my favorite on the paper. I felt much more confident as a writer, and at the same time, it was nice to see names published in my section that weren’t my own. 

But, as with all things, there was a time when it came to an end. It was always something in the back of my mind, but as the final months had evaporated into just mere days, it became all the more surreal. It really is over. 

I will always be grateful to The Foreword, and in particular, Mr. Parker, for believing in me as a writer. His ongoing support and guidance made me believe in myself as a writer, something I feared in my early days I may never be able to do. I will also always be grateful to every writer I shared Room 212 with, and my fellow editors who assisted me time and time again. 

The Foreword will always have a special place in my heart. It was the team that drafted me, to make yet another sports reference. 

It will always stand as the place that helped me discover who I could be and what I wanted to do. It was so much more than what sophomore me could have ever expected when I first signed on. 

I was never good at goodbyes, but in a neat way, thanks to The Foreword, this doesn’t have to be a full goodbye. 

Being on this paper inspired me to continue writing even after my high school days are over. It was simply too much of a passion to let die, and therefore, I can’t. 

Whether my future pursuits as a journalist end in a home run or a strikeout, it’s a chance I want to be standing at the plate to take. 

As The Foreword undergoes a transition to its next era, I have no doubt that the organization I treasured is in good hands. I’ve met and known so many great people who I know will keep The Foreword as vibrant and plentiful as ever. I have no doubt these writers will do great things, and I cannot wait to see what they can do.