Over the years I have wanted to be many things. An astronaut, ballerina, doctor, writer, and food truck owner – just to name a few. However, being a writer has always lived in the back of my mind and at the forefront of my heart. Writing has always come fairly straightforward to me, but I never had anywhere to put my writing or had anything important to do with it. Until I joined the Dispatch:)

It sounds really cheesy, but joining the Dispatch my junior year was probably the smartest decision I made while in high school. The Dispatch provided me a space where my writing was valued and was able to positively impact my community. I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to talk with such well-spoken students on campus during my countless interviews, and thankful that I was trusted to tell so many of their incredible stories. 

To Kate and Mazzy: I freakin’ adore you ladies. You guys make being EiC’s look effortless, and I don’t know how you do it because I’ve seen firsthand the countless hours that y’all invest in our publication. That being said, your individual care and commitment to producing the highest quality publication does not go unnoticed by our community. Each issue we publish I have students come up to me complimenting each of your pages, or showing me their quotes in a story with the biggest grin on their face. In case you haven’t heard it enough, I am seriously so proud of the way that y’all have turned the program around and changed it for the better. What y’all do matters to Bowie – despite the fact that the papers are used for anatomy labs, we won’t talk about that – and I am so eager to see the impact that y’all create in your college communities and in the world beyond. 

To this year’s incredible print leadership team: y’all are phenomenal people and I have enjoyed every minute of working alongside y’all. Sophia, you exude bubbly energy and I appreciate your look-on-the-bright-side approach to life. Talking to you on B-days was always a breath of fresh air and I will miss those conversations terribly. To Emme, your brilliance and humor never cease to amaze me, and I have had so much fun getting to know you better this year. I appreciate your flexibility and advice while we dealt with all things front-page-related this year, and I cannot wait to hear about your epic college stories. To Asher, it physically pains me to imagine what our paper would look like without your beautiful artwork. I cannot express how incredibly talented you are, and I’m so excited to see where your future takes you and all of the incredible things that you accomplish.

I want to say a big thank you to Mr. Reeves for adopting me into the journalism program my junior year.  I had never finished the proper prerequisite class due to a scheduling change my sophomore year, but he made sure that I had the opportunity to join the Dispatch staff regardless. Reeves, I truly can’t thank you enough for taking that chance on me. You didn’t have to put me on your roster the following year, but something convinced you to do so. For that I am extremely grateful because I can’t imagine what my life would be like now if it weren’t for your class.

And finally, to the sophomores (and Isabella): you guys got this! You can always reach out to any one of us for anything. The interest and dedication that y’all have shown this year is truly unbelievable, and I can’t wait to see the wonderful work y’all do for the program!

Throughout my four years at Bowie I have been lucky enough to have encountered so many wonderful teachers, but there are a handful in particular who have left a lasting impact on my life. Thank you to Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Hepburn-Lake, Mr. Reeves, Mr. Pool, Mrs. Westmoreland, Mrs. Flick, and Ms. Gonzalez for all of the incredible time that I’ve spent in each of your classrooms. The lessons that I’ve learned from y’all, both school-related and life-related, will stick with me for a long time. 

I am absolutely stoked to further my education at Texas State University this fall! I will be double majoring in psychology and communication disorders on a pre-speech pathology track.  

Hugs,

Charlotte <3