A final farewell to Inside NU

Before coming to college, I had never spent more than three weeks away from home. When you live within a 10-mile radius of all 35 members of your family, there’s no reason to. So, after growing up in a community like that, I was desperate to find something similar at Northwestern. Inside NU quickly became that for me.

This last year has been hard for everyone. I dreamed of being editor-in-chief from the moment I started writing for this site, and when I found out these were the circumstances that I’d have to lead under, I wasn’t thrilled. But I am so proud of the work we’ve done, and this experience has allowed me to grow in ways I never thought I would.

When everyone else was stuck at home for the past year, Inside NU allowed me to see the country, from Florida to Texas to Indiana (four times!). When I was unsure how to move forward, Inside NU gave me a purpose. During one of the hardest years of my life, this site pointed me in the right direction, motivated me and helped me persevere. For that, I will be forever grateful.

It would’ve been so easy to stop our coverage during all those months without sports, but we kept writing (even if it was about video games or our dogs), and the site grew tremendously as a result. We were rewarded with some of the best months in Northwestern sports history, including a Big Ten Championship game, a Citrus Bowl win, the best start in men’s basketball program history and a women’s NCAA Tournament — events I dreamed of covering in my real career, let alone college.

There are so many people I need to thank for making this past year what it was:

All of Northwestern Athletics, but particularly Paul Kennedy, Ray O’Connell, Amit Mallik, Hope Carpinello and Zach Wingrove — Thank you all for allowing us to cover these teams this past year and giving us more opportunities and access than I ever could’ve hoped for.

Our predecessors: Caleb Friedman, Davis Rich and Noah Coffman (and all the other past Inside NU editors) — I wouldn’t be here without you all believing in me to join or run this site, so thank you for teaching me so much and taking a chance on me.

Our managing editors: Mac Stone, Colin Kruse and Daniel Olinger — Eli and I couldn’t have survived this year without you and your dedication to the site. I’m so lucky to have you all as co-workers and friends, and I cannot wait to see what you accomplish in the future with this site and beyond.

My co-editor: Eli Karp — There is no one I would’ve rather run this site with for the past year. Thank you for putting up with me (and my constant stressing) and for helping me grow as not only a writer and editor, but as a leader and a person.

The entire Inside NU staff — Inside NU would be nothing without your incredible dedication, and I’m very proud of the work you’ve done. You made our jobs as editors so much easier, and I am so excited to see what you do with this site and in your careers moving forward.

Our readers — You make this site what it is, so thank you for supporting us, reading us and always keeping us in check. I hope you continue to follow our work for years to come.

Inside NU couldn’t be in any better hands with Dan, Mac, Will, Ben, Didi and Michael taking over as our next editorial board. I know this site has greatness in store under their leadership.

But if I’ve learned one thing it’s that if you love something, set it free, so for now, this is goodbye from me. I’ll be joining you all on the other side for a bit, in the comment section and Twitter threads, finally sharing my unfiltered views of Northwestern sports, so stay tuned. Thanks again for everything. It’s been a hell of a ride and one I’ll never forget.