First and foremost, I’d like to thank God, for giving me the courage, strength and will to go on. Second, I’d like to thank my mother for her guidance and encouragement. Thank you so much for keeping me on the right track Mommy.

Grandma you are my rock, the solid foundation on which I stand.

Mark, thanks for being there when I needed you. Thanks for being a father to me.

To all my cousins in Maryland, thank you so much. Thank you Cousin William, Cousin Norma and Cousin Dennis for looking out for me like a daughter these four years. I wish I could have visited more often.

To all the freshmen black journalism majors – THERE ARE ONLY THREE YEARS LEFT!!!

I know I am not the only black person who wants to write for The Hatchet on this campus. I strongly encourage you to continue the legacy and to carry that torch. It’s up to you now.

Chioma and Miya – I’m depending on you. Make me proud. Good luck Rania. I hope you stick with The Hatchet. All of you have so much potential. Just assert yourselves and you too can become a news editor.

To my fellow Hatcheteers – you are a special bunch and I will never forget you.

Thank you so much Elissa for hiring me during my freshmen year.

Claire – You’ve always been my favorite, even though you curse a lot.

Megan – You are so cool, don’t ever change.

Matt – Ease up a bit and don’t take things so seriously, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack.

Shruti – You are the only minority left on staff – need I say more.

Becky – Congratulations, I know you will continue that Hatchet tradition as editor in chief.

Lee and Tyson – Thanks for keeping it real.

O.K. Helder, this one is just for you. You are very opinionated for an opinions page editor. Please take this into consideration when you are applying for a job in the journalism profession.

As for the rest of the Hatcheteers – no cursing, no smoking and no drinking. Use words like applehead, fudge knuckles and sugar, it works for me.

To the business and production staff – thank you so much for your input. You are part of why The Hatchet is such a great paper.

Steve – You are an excellent manager. You are truly the best one I’ve seen on this campus. You are an excellent human being too. Thanks for being so kind and supportive.

Todd – I know, I know, I rarely say hello. But ask anybody, I barely say hi to anyone. So, here it goes: “Hello Todd, how are you?”

To all of you freshmen who fell through the cracks of the news department – I am so sorry and I hope you return next year. Be persistent, learn Hatchet-style and take at least two stories a month. Follow these guidelines and you will get recognition and become a better writer/reporter. And you will accumulate so many clips that you won’t have to worry about finding a story to send to The Washington Post.

Thanks to all my journalism professors for teaching me about what it takes to be a journalist with ethics. Thank you Professor Roberts for sharing those amazing stories. Puff taught me that in order to be a journalism teacher you must be a “journalist.” I wish I had a chance to take Puff’s Journalism 133, but it was nice to have known a person who truly has lived a full life.

Thanks to all of my political science professors for teaching me local, national and international politics. Thank you Prof. Davis for helping me realize where I am needed most. I do hope to be councilwoman of Mount Vernon, N.Y. within 10 years.

I want to say thank you to all my GW friends.

James – You have been a great friend and I know, with your optimistic attitude, you will be a successful financier in New York City. Corporate America needs a God-fearing, humble man like yourself.

Bethany – Girl, we had some great conversations and you are a great friend. Thank you for helping me make the connection, I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it.

Erika – You have proved to me that not all Christians are alike and just because I had a bad experience with one, I should not shun the Lord. Just your presence as a roommate (and all those posters) has brought me closer to God. Thank you.

Melba – We must make a better effort to keep in touch. You know where to find me at 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

I will never forget the friends I made freshmen year in Thurston room 730.

All of you know that I was the seventh roommate.

Rusty – You are truly a down-to-earth kind of guy. Good luck in whatever road you choose.

Doug – I know you will be president of the United States one day. Call me if you need a campaign manager. You can reach me at my office at City Hall. Just promise me you won’t do a Bill Clinton on us. This country has had enough of the guy with good intentions who screws over the lower class.

Thanks to all my buddies outside GW. Summer 1996, was a summer I’ll never forget, I made some great lifelong friends through my internship with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Trevia – Thanks for keeping me in check. Friends to the end.

Shayla – You always cause some trouble when you come on this campus, stay on your Howard campus.

William – You go boy! Handle your business. You are a great journalist and a great friend.

I can’t forget Lori and Andrea, we’ve been friends for how many years? You know I’ll never forget you. Denene, my daily e-mail pal, even though we live in the same state, I never manage to see you on my breaks. But when we do run into each other at our five-year reunion, there won’t be any catching up to do. Cortni, girl you should be ashamed of yourself, going to College Park and not visiting me even once, that’s all right though, I still love ya.

Henry – You have touched my life in a way I cannot articulate. You are a good-hearted man who helped me through some hard times. Thank you for your support.

Well, last but not least, Randy, you have given me the best three years of my life. Thank you for the encouragement. I love you.

To all those I did not mention personally, thank you, thank you, thank you. I would not be where I am today without GW, The Hatchet and good ol’ D.C. I have learned a lot during these four years. I will never forget The Hatchet.

Thank you Lord for granting me the strength to persevere.-30–Monique L. Harding has big plans for the future. She will go to grad school to pursue a master’s and doctor’s degrees in political science in fall, 1999. She will run for city council and possibly become a political science professor in New York City. Then, she will join the Army to pay off her student loans. During the summer, she will take on any (legal) job to pay her rent. Anybody need a secretary?