By the time I’m writing this article, I will be graduating in less than one month. Looking back, I can confidently say that I’m glad to become one of many staff members here at Vanguard News for the past three years. I still remember the first time I stepped inside this classroom filled with hopes and expectations for the future, and I know that this organization has made all my dreams come true. Started off with about seven members, Vanguard News has grown to encompass more than 20 members covering different topics about the school and surrounding communities. Everytime a trending topic comes up, my staff members will always come up with great angles to cover the topic and voice their opinions to the world. Me and everyone on staff believes in the importance of a team, and because of these beliefs, we became who we are today.

There are many people I want to thank along the way but I want to start off by thanking our advisor, Ms.Gilmore. She has always dedicated her time and energy to supporting Vanguard News as much as possible despite managing many different classes in her tight schedule. I’m beyond grateful of how she believed in me as a junior Editor-in-Chief. She allowed me to express my creativity through new projects and modifications to the newspaper while giving me any resources I needed to achieve those goals. Instead of being a teacher, she was more of a mentor to me. Because of Ms.Gilmore, I was able to lead the team to new heights and through the process, I learnt what it means to be a journalist by protecting the integrity of truth and expressing one’s creativity.

Secondly, I want to thank all the staff members and interns of the team no matter how long they’ve stayed along the process. Thank you for believing in me and my abilities in times where I didn’t even believe in myself. Without any of you, Vanguard News will not be how it is today. Of course there are times where our opinions and directions differ, but at the end of the day, our teamwork and collaboration is what made my dream come true. I hope Vanguard News was a place that made everyone feel safe in expressing their talent and I hope this organization will continue to encompass the ambitions of everyone and continue to move forward while achieving even bigger awards and honors.

Lastly, I want to thank all the readers of Vanguard News. Even though I can’t personally meet everyone that’s ever read our newspaper in person, I want to extend my greatest gratitude to everyone that’s ever read or commented on our website. With your existence, the purpose of newspapers was fulfilled. As the editor-in-chief, I hope our newspaper has offered you new insights on a topic, new information about an event or new lessons regarding life that you’ve never heard of before. I understand that our newspaper has many limits but I still hope that you have enjoyed witnessing the growth of this organization. In the future, Vanguard News will continue to deliver timely and accurate news that is concerned with the issues of the community and the society.

We might not be the best student-ran newspaper in the world, but Vanguard News will always be the best newspaper to me.  I will always remember the storage closet where miracles and ideas happened. We drafted articles and conducted interviews  as if there were limitless possibilities for stories. As I step into a new chapter of my life, I hope that I will continue to write and participate in the journalism world. Whether it is at Stanford Daily or in my own paper diary, I will always remember the importance of stories that brought me immense joy and purpose in life.

Katy Zhang, signing off.