Each year, graduating editors are given 30 final column inches — “30” was historically used to signify the end of a story — to reflect on their time at The Hatchet, published in the final issues of the year.

I grew up in a racing family. Some of my earliest memories consist of Formula 1 beach towels and International Motor Sports Association races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 

When I was a child and a driver would go off track, damage their car or have a botched pit stop, I would always be confused with why they continued on with the race. They would be laps behind the rest of the pack with no prospect of scoring points, yet the drivers would always push on as long as the car physically let them. 

Confused by this behavior, I would ask my dad what the idea behind it was and he would always tell me the same thing. 

“It’s not over until it’s over.”

While this seems like such a self-evident idea, I never fully internalized it until recently. 

From never being properly onboarded onto staff to the video desk being tucked away in the back corner of the basement, my time as an editor on The Hatchet has been anything but conventional. I found this situation intimidating to approach and difficult to interact with. 

I never felt like I had the opportunity to take part in something larger than myself. I limited myself to editing away in the corner and never reaching out. As a result, I never left my comfort zone.

As graduation nears and my final stint comes to a close, I have reflected on my time at The Hatchet and realized that I was dissatisfied with my mark on the paper. Week in and week out, I would hear of late-night prodos and townhouse ghost stories but never had any experiences of my own to offer. Editing video is usually a solo activity and projects rarely leave the scope of the section, meaning everything was done on its own scheduling. 

Then, I remembered something that is supposed to serve as a central value that informs my thoughts and actions. 

It’s not over until it’s over.

So for my last month as a student and staff member, I decided it was time to close the gap as best I could until the checkered flag was waved. From being too honest in my senior hot seat to my 12-hour prodo working on the 2025 Student Government Association videos, I was finally able to have my quintessential Hatchet staff experiences. 

I have caught up with the pack, made up the lost time and can now finish with everybody else. Being fully incorporated into this community, even if for a brief time, has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career. 

It is because of times like these that I remember why drivers will always push until the checkered flag is waved: It’s not over until it’s over. 

To the people who were with me along the way: 

Nick and Ava: It has been a pleasure to work with you guys. I am really happy we got to collaborate on so many projects throughout the years and synthesize all of our crazy ideas into actual videos. Thank you for encouraging me to be creative with my ideas and supporting me in any task I undertook. I can only hope that I returned the favor.

Grace, Faith, Ianne, Cristina: Platforming my work would be impossible without you. Thank you for pushing me to be grounded in my pitches and professional in my reporting. I have learned so much with and through you guys. It has been so much fun to contribute to Volume 121!

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