When I first joined journalism my sophomore year, I had no idea writing would have such a huge impact in my life.

This year, my final year of being on The Eclipse, I am the editor in chief. I plan on continuing my involvement in news media by minoring in journalism at Eastern Michigan University this fall.

As my three years working for The Eclipse comes to an end, I am filled with conflicting feelings.

I am proud of The Eclipse. We have received five SNO badges this year, published consistently every week, and had five stories published on the Best of SNO, a national news site for high school journalists.

I am happy that I was able to have the learning experiences I did in this class, as well as the mentorship provided by Mr. Darrick Puffer, journalism adviser.

However, I am also sad to be letting The Eclipse go. These three years made me fall in love with journalism, and although I am ready to take on college, it is nerve-racking to think of moving on.

In my adolescence, I always wondered what it would be like to be a senior in high school.

While I don’t have pink hair with a matching pink Corvette like I originally planned at age 10, I am proud of who I’ve become.

As I prepare to walk across the stage at The Whiting and take my diploma, I have spent time reminiscing about my time at Kearsley.

Millions of memories have been jam-packed into these last 13 years at Kearsley.

Whether you were a Dowdall Diamond, a Fiedler Falcon, or a Buffey Bobcat, we are all graduating together as Kearsley Hornets.

Thank you to everyone who helped me get to where I am.

Thank you to The Eclipse for being such a wonderful part of my high school career. I can’t wait to see the success of the news site next year under the leadership of Connor Earegood.

Senior year really does fly by, don’t take any part of it for granted.

Thank you for everything, Kearsley.

Love, JRob