I sat back in my seat — not mine, but one belonging to a member of the national media — and stared out at Mount St. Mary’s taking down the Iona Gaels to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. As confetti fell and “One Shining Moment” by David Barrett played over the speakers, I shed a tear, not just because of the song, but because it was my last chapter of my Quinnipiac career.

I stood up slowly and turned in a full circle, taking in every little detail of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, from the two teams’ bands, the empty green seats, the gigantic American flag and the organ that blasted the best national anthem that I ever heard. I stood there and reflected on my experience at Quinnipiac.

As I reflected, I looked back at freshman-year Ryan — the guy who spent most of his time tucked away in the Ledges residence hall — and looked at my path that led me to this moment.

Before ever joining The Quinnipiac Chronicle, I spent countless nights wondering if I’d ever come close to what my peers were accomplishing in their first year, whether it was covering a game at the People’s United Center — now known as the M&T Bank Arena — or seeing their name in print.

I didn’t feel like I belonged. I sat in the press conference rooms as still as a pillar, without a single idea of what to ask, not even a basic “What did you see from the defense that helped you?” During my sophomore year I started to do a little more, but I still never quite felt I meshed with my peers who stood beside me in those same rooms.

Would freshman-year me ever believe the places he was going to go or the stories that he was going to write?

Would he picture himself walking through a casino to get to the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall? Traveling to Fairfield, Sacred Heart and Iona? Interviewing three-time Super Bowl champion Joe Andruzzi or a Paralympic para-fencer or gaining relationships with the countless people he has talked to during features?

He wouldn’t believe you. He’d think you were playing a prank on him.

For the countless words I wrote for The Quinnipiac Chronicle — topped by the 2,371-word men’s basketball preview, thanks to everyone who read that one — I never thought I’d write the first one.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I walked into that first Chronicle meeting on a Tuesday night as a junior. I was a media studies major surrounded by journalism majors. But even with that fear, it quickly faded, and within a week, I had my first recap.

It may have been the worst thing I’ve written in my two years at the Chronicle, but the support from the sports staff kept me coming back each day, helping me push through the overthinking and build confidence in my work.

Those eight-hour stays in the media suite on Tuesdays, thinking and stressing wondering if certain articles would come together or what comments they’d receive, were all worth it.

As I finished taking everything in, that day in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I felt I should’ve done it more often and thanked everyone I’ve met and experienced this journey with. So here we go.

Thank you to former Sports Editor Ethan Hurwitz for helping me find myself by pulling me into The Chronicle. You helped me carve out my niche covering the golf team and gave me the push to cover the men’s basketball team this year. From the “Glad to have you on the dark side” comment on my first recap to now, your support has meant more than you know.

Thank you to former Opinion Editor Mike LaRocca for supporting me, whether it was a long feature or just a small piece about Christophe Tellier’s return to Hamden. Thank you for being there, whether it was on deadline day or supporting me at Student Media Showdown.

To both Ethan and Mike: Thank you for making Monday night that much more fun with trivia, whether it was our countless wins or our countless last-place finishes.

Thank you to Managing Editor Gina Lorusso and Arts & Life Editor Grace Conneely-Nolan for putting up with my jokes on deadline days or my random requests about Arts & Life articles that you had no idea about — Formula One in specific. 

Thank you to Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Martinakova for everything under the sun that you’ve helped me with. From teaching me what being a copy editor was to now building an amazing paper that will continue to be that with you at the helm.

Thank you to former Sports Editor Amanda Dronzek; it was a pleasure working with you this year. Thank you for taking the time with me as I tried to learn the ropes of the associate sports editor role.

My final thanks go to the new sports staff, Claire Frankland and Michael Petitto. The section is now in your hands, and I know you’ll continue the great growth of the section.

Claire, I hope I helped you as much as I could this semester to help you get to this point. I know you are going to crush it, find great stories and become a great sports editor like I know you can be.

Mike, seeing your growth from staff writer to copy editor and now to associate sports editor has been incredible. After going to the MAAC Basketball Championship with you, I know you are ready. I’m excited to see your growth in the coming years with the sports coverage.

You both have the keys now, and I believe you’ll make the sports section great.

The stories I’ve written will eventually be pushed down the page, replaced by new and improved ones from the new sports staff. Some might resurface, but it was all worth it. What I’ll remember about the Chronicle is the people and how they made my experience unforgettable.

Thank you, and Johanson out.