Growing up, my dad always told me, “Zoe, you came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And you’re all out of bubblegum.”

It was a silly mantra that brought me a boost of confidence in my most unsure hours. And my first few weeks here at Quinnipiac University were certainly made up of many of them.

I came to this school two years ago as a junior transfer student, not sure of anything other than a passion for writing and a deep love of pop culture and entertainment. I didn’t know then what I could do with these things and had no idea the path I was about to stumble down.

I never intended to join the school newspaper. But a chance encounter in the famed Writer’s Room of Center for Communications and Computing and Engineering brought me face-to-face with The Quinnipiac Chronicle for the first time.

In a moment of bravery, I sent a scattered story pitch about Quinta Brunson’s success at that year’s Emmys to the paper’s then-editor-in-chief, Melina Khan. She was kind enough to overlook my clear anxiety and passed me along the info of David Matos and Neha Seenarine, the arts & life editors at the time.

I had no idea how much that one email would change my life.

In the following weeks, I would see myself go from contributing writer to staff writer, before being offered the position of associate arts & life editor. I never saw it coming, but that was also partially because I was desperately sick with bronchitis and was consuming so much cough medicine my brain was a little fuzzy.

But even amongst the sickness — which my fellow e-board members have unfortunately gotten quite used to — I found myself venturing into the media suite and beyond, writing stories and learning from other writers in a way that felt similar to the movies and TV shows I was often reviewing. 

My move from associate to arts & life editor wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of David and Neha. David, thank you for teaching me the hard stuff about being an editor and for greeting every idea with enthusiasm. And Neha, thank you for helping me find my own voice and showing me how to lead with confidence.

That confidence helped me find my way to arts & life editor. The Zoe that first stepped foot onto Quinnipiac’s campus never would’ve seen that coming, but I know with all my heart how proud she would be.

It hasn’t always been easy. The days are long and sometimes I found myself having doubts, wondering if I was making the right choices for myself. But the love I found for my section and the work I was doing with my fellow e-board members, the managing board and our blossoming group of talented staff writers kept me going. I’m incredibly grateful for the people I’ve met, learned from and known. 

As I wrap up my goodbyes to the section I’ve grown to love so dearly, this wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the newest A&L e-board members. Amanda Madera, Grace Conneely-Nolan and Gina Lorusso, I am so incredibly proud of you three. I know you are going to do incredible things in the following months. I hope you find as much pride and joy in pages six through nine as I did.

There’s not many jobs where you can write about everything under the sun, from Oscar-winning movies, through Taylor Swift to “Bluey.” But here at The Chronicle, I got to have my name on the byline for it all. That’s something that I’ll always cherish.

After two years, I wave my goodbye to the places I’ve called home and the stories I’ve told. After all, I ran out of bubblegum a long time ago.