“Nothing gold can stay, like love or lemonade,” are some of the great lyrics shared by Lana Del Rey. All great things must come to an end, and it is now my time to venture onto the next stage in life.

As commencement creeps up on me and my days as a student journalist come to an end, I am left reflecting on how grateful I am to have worked at UTEP Student Media & Publications. Lost during the fall semester of 2022, I knew I wanted to pursue my passion in journalism but found myself in a state of no direction.

I spent so much time worrying about not being involved on campus and getting that engaging experience I craved. All until I took a chance on myself and applied at The Prospector. Come December 2022, I received the news that I was offered the opportunity to be the audience and engagement editor.

Since then, I have met so many new friends and colleagues all thanks to my time at UTEP Student Media & Publications. Every single interview I’ve conducted has formed me into a better journalist.

I am forever grateful for my friends and my family for their endless support throughout this journey. All the late nights of working on articles, editing social media posts and homework, I genuinely couldn’t have done it without their encouragement.

I am so extremely thankful for Crystal, Vero, Isa and Amy as they have steered me through all my hardships and lifted my spirits up.

I would like to give a special thanks to Crystal for shaping me into the journalist and human being I am today. Crystal, thank you for believing in me and pushing me to become a better journalist. I am so grateful for all of the help you’ve provided me, especially when everything seemed bleak, you helped me push through and made me realize my worth as an individual and aspiring journalist. I can’t thank you enough, but I hope you know that I look up to you.

Vero, thank you for all of your support when I felt like my world was falling apart. I sincerely appreciate you checking in on me and every single conversation we shared. Isa and Amy, thank you for brightening my day whenever I walked into the office, there was never a dull moment had.

One of the greatest aspects of working for The Prospector has been the shared experiences between my fellow student journalists. I am extremely grateful to have become friends with so many staff members from past and present. Alyda, Salma, Alyson, Avery, Emmanuel, Adam, Gael, Sofia, Iziah, thank you for all of your love and support, it was such an honor to work with such talented journalists like you all.

I hate saying goodbye, so I’ll just catch you on the flipside!

Marco Hinojosa is the editor-in-chief of Minero Magazine and may be reached at [email protected] / @thatsradmarco on Instagram.