It’s difficult to sum up exactly what I’ve gotten out of Pipe Dream. It’s even more difficult to put into words the emotion that I’ve attached to the people and places that Pipe Dream has taken me. The realization that half the things I say on a daily basis won’t make sense to anybody outside the office is not an easy one to make. Pipe Dream has been a part of my life in a way that is completely and utterly irreplaceable.
The senior columns at Pipe Dream have taken on the shape of many different stories. Jules used hers to point out the many different paths she could have taken, and Ari explained his infatuation with sports journalism. Kendall shared with us his journey joining the family that is Pipe Dream, and Christina brought us to the day she decided to be a Bearcat, and not a Terp. These completely unforgettable people, you must understand, have ingrained themselves in my life in such special ways, and have become some of my best friends. They came and went, and here I get to reflect on all of the wonderful personalities this campus newspaper danced into my life. Well here it goes:
I did not join Pipe Dream to fill my design portfolio, or to see my name in print above the fold. I did not join to gain experience in a field I wanted to go into post graduation, and I did not join it to fill space on my resume. All I can say about my journey to the position I’m in now is that perhaps I was drawn to the type of student you see in the Pipe Dream office. The type of student who reads, who thinks independently, and who enjoys learning; who does everything from club soccer on the weekends, to running Challah for Hunger in their extra time, to improv comedy. The types of students who make time to do what they love, who have aspirations bigger than themselves and who are actively trying to achieve them. I joined Pipe Dream to meet them.
These characters, you might say, gave me something much more than an experience in a newsroom. They taught me how and when to make hard decisions when I did not want to, and they taught me to follow through with my actions. They taught me to see other people in more lights than I thought possible, and they encouraged me to think differently. They taught me the value of accountability, and they gave me something to be proud of. They allowed me to try and fail, to be successful, to be disappointed and more importantly to learn. They taught me a tremendous amount about friendship, and allowed me to explore it in more ways than one. They encouraged my contagious enthusiasm and offered me endless support. Pipe Dream, and everyone that it includes, gave me everything I came to college for. That, I have to say, was generous.
My time in this basement office has added something I can’t quite describe to my experience at Binghamton University, and I’m grateful for every bit of it. Pipe Dream has a history of drawing a unique set of people through its doors, and I promise every single one is worth meeting.
A special thanks to the woman who helped me raise the child that is Pipe Dream this semester. Rachel, serving as your partner has been a roller coaster and a half and I wouldn’t have changed a thing (except maybe that Trey Songz article). There are so many things ahead of you and I cannot wait to see them unfold.
Nick, what I said to you in the car that night while we waited for Jeremy, our savior, to jump my car holds true. I see you in my life for a very long time, and don’t let anyone, especially Rachel, tell you to change. You’re hilarious and intelligent and one of a kind, and I’ll never forget your generosity that Wednesday morning with the Go-Gurt.
Emma, you couldn’t make me prouder if you tried. You are truly a gem and I am just the luckiest to have met you. If you ever have any problems (that aren’t personal, of course) you’ll know where to find me. If there is anything I did right for Pipe Dream, it was bringing you on board, and if there is anything I did right in college, it was becoming your friend. Go out with me?
To Pipe Dreamers past, wherever in the world you might be, I’ll forever be grateful that our paths have crossed.
To all of you I am leaving behind, you all mean the world to me, and I thank you for not only being my staff, but also being my friends. Take care of Odeya. Odeya, take care of everyone else.
In the words of a man who I admire for many reasons, “How wonderful life is while you’re [all] in the world.”