I first applied to the Evergreen opinion section in the summer of 2021, hoping to pop out hot takes by the dozen. During my three semesters and two summers as a columnist and, later, an editor, I have definitely had a lot of them.

However, I have come to value journalism itself on a level I could never have expected; as journalists, we are snapping a screenshot of life in a certain place, at a certain time.

Over just this past fall, we have seen tragedy locally and abroad, and I commend our incredible news team for covering those so diligently and creating a record of these past few months.

I recognize our life section for capturing our community — the people, the businesses, the events. Because of them, anyone who wants to know what life was like in Pullman in the fall of 2022 will be able to remember.

Everyone knows how sports bring people together, and this year’s sports section gave representation and coverage to so many athletes and organizations that we haven’t gotten to see much of before.

But opinion holds a special place in my heart.

We can look at a news brief and see what was happening at a given time, but it’s hard to tell how people living those events felt about it. What did they have to say? What was their experience?

Opinion is more than just hot takes. In my eyes, opinion is the most whole and valuable subjective look at a moment in time. Our section may not be a news source, but we do capture what it felt like to live through these times.

Maybe what we wrote about wasn’t important to you, but it was important to us. It was our lives. They were our experiences.

This will be my final hot take as your Evergreen opinion editor. I’m not sure yet what spring has in store for me, but I’m so happy I get to leave my screenshot of life these past few years. Thank you for everything <3