As I sit down to write this “Senior Send Off,” I find myself at a loss of words. Saying goodbye to The Scarlet is not something I had ever seen myself doing, mainly because I never saw myself joining The Scarlet to begin with. 

When I stepped foot on Clark’s campus in Aug. 2021, like many others, I was overwhelmed, shy, and extremely anxious. As a first generation college student I felt lost. While my family has always supported me in my academic career, coming to Clark was unknown territory for me. Out of fear , I isolated myself from a lot of the opportunities Clark had to offer. 

That was, until I attended my first meeting for The Scarlet. My amazing mentor, and now friend, Mia Levine convinced me to accompany her to a meeting during the fall semester of my sophomore year. I owe my entire journey with The Scarlet to Mia, if it were not for her I likely would have never stepped foot in a meeting. 

I attended a few more meetings in the following weeks before I wrote my first article, “Trax’s Seventh Birthday!!”. I will be honest and share with you, reader, that my sole encouragement for writing this article was so that I could attend a Worcester Railers game for free (I have no regrets). 

Writing that article sparked a new interest in writing for me. It was fun, and pushed me to build new skills. It also inspired me to continue writing for the sports section of the paper (as well as the encouragement, or pleading, on behalf of former sports editor William Schecter–thank you Will). 

Writing for The Scarlet grew my love for sports and my involvement with the Clark community. If it were not for The Scarlet, I may not have experienced some of my favorite memories at Clark, many of them involving Clark’s athletic teams. I’ll never forget watching the men’s basketball team make it to the NEWMAC championships, or the crowd roaring for the women’s volleyball team in the NEWMAC quarterfinal game. 

Allow my time at The Scarlet be a message to every Clarkie who, like myself, felt isolated or shy upon their arrival on campus. Don’t psych yourself out of trying something new. Expand your horizons, and be open to discovering new things about yourself you never knew before. I am eternally grateful that The Scarlet allowed me to do just that.

Thank you, and of course, ROLL COUGS!!