By: Annie Hart

Shenandoah University has been my saving grace. I originally didn’t want to attend, but during my senior year of high school I was going through a rough emotional/mental time and needed to stay close to my family. I wanted to transfer after a year, but something; which I now believe to be God, told me to stay. He halted my progress in transferring, changed my heart, and introduced me to The Buzz.

SU has since changed me. I’ve become a Woke White Woman, gained empathy, and dealt with a lot of incredibly difficult shit over the years. I have been able to create a community in The Buzz. Ben Mangubat, a fellow senior, has been by my side this year as my audio visual editor and has become one of my best friends. The other writers and I even have a snapchat group chat just to keep up with each other (and for me to nag them about stories).

I am so thrilled to be able to hand The Buzz over to the capable hands of two such writers; Jason Anderson and Dorie Triplett. Two of the writers I rarely had to nag and two people I believe in wholeheartedly.

The Buzz not only gave me a group of talented writers over the years, but a group of incredible people that I’m proud to have in my life. Overall, Shenandoah has given me amazing group of professors, mentors, and friends that are truly pillars that hold me up. They love my loud mouth, constant stories, and overall wild personality…most of the time.

One of such mentors is Glenn Anderson, the faithful badass faculty advisor of The Buzz. One of his most common phrases is always a variation on “I’ll go to bat for you”, “You do it, and I’ll fight for it”, or “If you get in trouble just forward the email to me”. Glenn has believed in my writing and my leadership skills more than most, and to him I owe so much of the confidence I have gained in myself. He has never placed boundaries on what The Buzz or I can do.

To wrap up my time in list form;

My first week of class I called a boy in my FYS class an idiot, since then my comeback skills have gotten better. I became a mentor for FYS students. I declared a theatre minor, then changed it to Spanish. I had a huge falling out with people I thought would be lifelong friends.

I wrote for The Buzz, I became editor in chief.

I traveled to Germany and Austria. I wore sweatshirts and leggings almost the entire 4 years, much to my mother’s chagrin. I went to parties, I ran out of parties that got busted. I got my heart broken. I met my best friends. I realized my worth and intelligence. I learned I can do anything I set my mind to. I got into grad school.

I didn’t think I would make it out of high school alive, seriously; but here I am graduating college, 22 years old, on my way to a masters in psychology so I can help people who thought they wouldn’t be able to live to see the next day. I get to be an example of what happens when you persevere and decide to live the life you were blessed with.

SU I did not expect you, but damn I’m glad you showed up.