Featured Image: (Pacer Photo by April Haynes)

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say. In the words of my Section Editor and partner-in-crime, Bethany Collins, “You need to hurry up and write your senior farewell! The due date is Friday!” Needless to say, after her telling me that for the third time, I’m finally sitting down to give a proper goodbye to the adoring people who read both The Pacer and my work. 

I never knew what I wanted to do growing up. I wasn’t even sure that I could be a college student until my mother encouraged me to start applying. She told me that I wouldn’t know what was out there until I tried.

I really took that to heart as a high school student with low self-esteem. She believed in me when no one else did, and that gave me power. 

My father and grandparents were also some of my biggest supporters. UT Martin sent me my first acceptance letter in 2020, but I was unsure about if I wanted to go to another small town. 

I came from Counce, Tennessee, a certified small and unincorporated town. The distance was also a factor that I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do. I wanted to be as far from home as I possibly could go for the reason of independence. 

I took my first and only tour of UT Martin and decided that this is where I needed to be. I fell in love with the school, and I was hyped that I could wear whatever I wanted to classes.

I started college as a psychology major and hated it. Then, I tried my hand at criminal justice, but it just wasn’t right for me. 

The best decision that I ever made was switching to a meteorology major with a minor in communications. That took me to Shaley Dawson’s Broadcast Meteorology class where I found a love for the screen, but I knew that something still wasn’t right. Finally I made the jump to journalism full-time with professional enhancements in meteorology, and I knew that I was where I was supposed to be. 

In my final two years, I joined The Pacer and found a family among the MMSC students and teachers in the department. Bethany, Gwen, Aubrey and Keenan made my transition nearly seamless into this new family and quickly became amazing friends. I still credit them for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Former Executive Editor and my best friend Clarissa Spitzley introduced me to the best chapter of my life, which I am forever grateful for. I am most thankful Dr. Robert Nanney and Dr. Chuck Hammond for always believing in me. I would not be where I am without their everlasting support, the laughs we’ve shared and the guidance with which they provided me. 

For my anime lovers who have supported my stories, “No matter how deep the night, it always turns to day eventually.” – Brook

“In a world that you cannot change, be the thing that can.” -Laur Davis 2026