Time is eventually up – even if we wish we could go back and do some things differently, or wish we had a little more time to make changes and fixes before we leave. Everything can’t be perfect.

I am one of the thousands of people over The Hatchet’s one hundred and eleven volumes to whom this pattern pertains. But at the start of my college career I wasn’t so sure that would be the case.

Through those struggles, a deep loyalty to this institution grows. As you become more comfortable with the grueling job, the loyalty and The Fear intertwine.

For me, the people have always made this place. They have shaped the past two and a half years of my life in ways I’ve never fully appreciated.

I’ve struggled to accept that the most constant part of my life will soon be over.

I could never have predicted the impact The Hatchet would have on my life, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The urge to leave was powerful, yet I never left. Why? I’m still trying to figure that out.