It seems surreal to me now to be writing this column after four years at Binghamton and nearly the same time working and taking photos for Pipe Dream. It’s truly been a ride of a lifetime, and though being on this staff has had its many challenges, like skipped classes and long hours in the office editing photos, I don’t believe I would change it for anything.

I still remember like it was yesterday; I was walking down the Spine during UFEST my freshman year when a table covered in newspapers and cameras caught my eye. Never would I have imagined I would be where I am now just from stopping to speak to the person whose position I now hold four years later.

I am by no means an artist — far from it. I came here for the hard sciences, and that is still what I am doing. But my parents are both artists, good ones, and though in some ways the apple fell far from the tree, I carry that passion for the arts through my continuing dedication to photography. I have developed much as a student, but even more as a photographer from my years in Pipe Dream, and I am immensely grateful for that opportunity.

I began my freshman spring just taking photos here and there when I would be assigned, and, for a while, I thought that was where I would stay. And stay I did, but because I stayed, I was able to discover all that the paper had to offer. I eventually worked my way up, staying committed to my role as a photographer, and that is when I found myself thrown into the position of section editor at the beginning of my junior year.

I’d love to say that everything went swimmingly from there, but I’m not a liar, and like many people here would agree, this job can be stressful. Sometimes more stressful than the most difficult class any one of us has ever taken. But with stress comes community. Nothing could have prepared me for how welcoming, kind and overall just amazing every single person I have come to know on this staff has been and continues to be. I could not have done this for so long, or probably at all, without all of you. You guys rock — really. From late nights here in the office to spontaneous Sugar Lips or fast food runs, I could not have asked for a better team, and honestly, family, to do it all with.

Yes, the classes I’ve taken have given me the knowledge and skills I need for a career in the sciences, but nothing could have made me a better overall person than working with the wonderful team I have had the privilege to get to know through Pipe Dream, and for that I will be always indebted. So, thank you.

To Harry and Michael, thank you for setting this Photo section up so well. I could not have done this job without your guidance. I hope you are both living your best lives and making the most of them.

To Lia, I feel like I can think as far back as possible and just can’t remember a Pipe Dream memory without you in it. You are the most kind-hearted, understanding and encouraging person I have ever had the opportunity to know. You are always there whenever anyone needs you, and have been an amazing presence both inside this office and out, and I am 110 percent sure anyone else would agree with me. Please, keep being you. I also sincerely appreciate you convincing me to take a Vaughan class, which was probably the best class I have ever taken. Good luck in the next chapter at Stony Brook, and we’ll be close enough that I’ll probably see you quite a bit, honestly. But seriously, thank you for everything. You have been an amazing friend, and that means the world to me.

To Brandon, I haven’t known you as long as I wish I had, but despite that, it feels like we could have been friends for years. I know I can be a pain in the ass more times than not, but you deal with it because you care (I hope). Kidding, I know. You are a character in the office that I think brings so much light to the room whenever you’re around. You are so kind, caring and such a fun person to be around. I wouldn’t feel the same going thrift shopping all the way out in Endwell with anyone else, or asking anyone else to stand on my car’s seat and take photos out of the sunroof with my camera while driving. I hope you find everything you want in life, and I know you’ll make the best out of wherever life takes you. Thank you for being a real friend through everything.

To Jacob, my right-hand man, you are such a thoughtful soul, and I am so proud to call you my friend and coworker. We have been through it all together, and honestly, I think you keep me sane. I thoroughly enjoy talking cars and other random engineering news whenever we have free time and have enjoyed just working with you day in and day out for the past two years. Thank you for being there, helping me figure things out and just being such an amazing person. Good luck with everything in the future, you’ll kill it wherever you end up. Maybe you’ll end up a nuclear engineer, who knows?

To Manny, Danny and Chris, thank you all for being real ones. I always have a good time hanging with you all and will be forever appreciative of getting to know all of you.

Manny, your band is so damn good, I wish I had the time to go to every show. Also, I enjoyed guessing what cologne we were wearing, literally like every day.

Danny, thank you for being just all around fun to talk to and hang out with, in the office and also wherever else I end up seeing you. Keep it real, man.

Chris, despite the foundational beef between our sections (kidding, again), you have been a true friend, and I have missed your presence in the office this past semester. You are so down-to-earth, fun to shoot the shit with and just an overall such a goodhearted person. Go Blackbears! I wish you all the best in future endeavors.

To Alex, I love you. Thank you for being there for me and making my senior year so much better than I could have ever expected. Thank you for absorbing my love for Jason Isbell, even if I may play him a bit too much. “Home was a dream, one I’d never seen, ‘till you came around.” -Isbell

To my parents, thank you for being some of the most understanding and loving people in my life. You have been an inspiration for as long as I can remember, and you are the main reason I am where I am now and have anything at all figured out for the future. I could not have done this at all without you both, so thank you so much. I am who I am because of you. I love you both more than you can imagine.

To all my friends, thank you for being there for me through thick and thin, truly. Those of you in Pipe Dream made working on this paper and all my missing sleep worth it. To my other friends, you have made these four years bearable and possible. Thank you for being my rocks. I never could have done any of this without any of you.

To leave with one more lyric from my favorite artist:

”And the stories only mine to live and die with,

And the answers only mine to come across,

But the ghosts that I got scared and I got high with,

Look a little lost.”

-Jason Isbell, “Different Days”

Our stories are our own and ours to make worthwhile, but you all, my friends and family, who have been such a big part of my life, did make it worthwhile. I am not who I used to be, and I am thankful for that growth.

Caspar Carson, a senior majoring in biology, is Pipe Dream’s photo editor.