I feel insanely, absurdly lucky to have come to Buzzsaw. The first week of college, Mateo Flores and I walked tentatively through the doors of Williams 323 and sat next to each other in the third row, whispering as the editors pitched their articles. I was enthralled; I had just started college, and suddenly, here were all these real adults in their fashionable outfits, talking to me about serial killers and celebrity culture and the evils of social media. I remember thinking, man, if I could just do what these guys are doing, I’d have it made.
It’s bittersweet, really. At eighteen, I imagined my last week of Buzzsaw in the Buzzcave with Mateo, maybe even drinking that little splash of Xtreme Rum that’s been there since 2004. Instead, I’m ending my Buzzsaw career in my bedroom, quietly overanalyzing the Google Drive. Still, I really couldn’t have asked for more; I’ve spent the last four years surrounded by intelligent, hardworking, well-spoken people in the form of my fellow Buzzstaff.
I was so excited to join the Buzzstaff. I’d originally just wanted to write music reviews, but Alexis Morillo quickly pulled me towards Upfront, encouraging me to write pieces that were outside of my comfort zone. I was thrilled when she made me an editor—it’s one of my happiest college memories. I couldn’t have done any of this if Alexis hadn’t seen me, the shy first-year that I was, and pulled me into the wonderful world of Buzzsaw.
And, of course, I have to express my gratitude for recent graduate and my former co-editor, Mateo Flores, who joined me at that first meeting. From the beginning, it was always amazing to have someone on the exact same page of the same magazine. I really don’t know that I would have ever gone alone, and I don’t know that I would have kept going back without Mateo.
It’s hard to say goodbye. I know that I am leaving Buzzsaw in some insanely capable hands— Julia Dath understands what Upfront is about better than I ever could— and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled for the future of Buzzsaw. Since my first year, I’ve watched Buzzsaw go through some radical changes— not all of them easy. Yes, there were fun times, like our twentieth anniversary celebration. But there were also times of confusion and unease, where we were uncertain where, when, how and even if we’d be able to publish a magazine again. And yet, here we are, time and time again, ready to grace the tops of every table in Campus Center. Buzzsaw has always been resilient, and I’m so excited to see what our up-and-coming editors do in the face of all this insanity.
But man, I’d really love to take a nap on that fifty-year-old couch one more time.