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As the copy desk chief for Pipe Dream this year and a copy editor for a year and a half before that, some people equate my identity with my love of grammar. Yes, I am passionate about words and how they fit together. Yes, many of the things I have done at Binghamton University have involved that passion. Yes, I plan to make a career out of editing.

But while my time at this school has become intertwined with editing, where I have been and who I have become go beyond my love of language.

I am the person who was so nervous about coming to college and who worried about it for weeks before move-in day, afraid to leave everything that was comfortable. But I’m also the person who found one of my very best friends through a random roommate pairing, a friend who has gone through this whole awesome, crazy experience with me since day one, laugh-crying with me through it all. I am someone who found a place for myself.

I am the person who thought I had made good friends my freshman year when I was actually in a toxic situation. But I am also the person who walked away from that and found some great people.

I am the person who got really hurt after my first year and floundered around for a while trying to figure things out. But I am also someone who unexpectedly found love in my own small town the summer before my junior year after having gone to high school with him. I am someone who has found a sense of contentment through his kindness, his laughter and his light. I am someone who has been able to share my ups and downs with a truly wonderful person.

I am the person who had a vague interest in editing when I first got to college, who applied to Pipe Dream the fall semester of my sophomore year and didn’t get a position. But I am also the person who applied again the next semester and was accepted. Now I am in charge of a section and have realized how important editing is to me. I am someone who has had great people to work with to produce this paper week after week, someone who couldn’t have asked for a better team.

So many things and people have defined my experience here, some better than others. So many things will continue to influence where I go in the future. Don’t let one bad person or situation be the thing that stops you from moving forward. Don’t let a setback keep you from what you really want, and don’t let insignificant people define who you are. Recognize what has gotten you to where you are today, the good parts and the bad, and embrace them.

I am all of these worries and heartbreaks and successes and love. I also really like to edit.

– Emily Howard is a senior majoring in English