Senior Snapshots
By Michael Erkelens
For 78 weeks over the past four years I have been given the incredible honor and privilege of recording the history of not only my journey through Santa Clara, but our collective history over the years. Those 78 issues have helped define many of the events of our college life. Being the photo editor for our schools newspaper has been among the most stressful and exhilarating experiences of my life.
In my time at The Santa Clara I have never truly written an article, except maybe a few poorly spelled descriptions of a photo. I will, however, adamantly argue that my job along with that of my photographers and the campus safety report have been the main reasons that most of you have picked up any newspapers in the past four years.
Sixteen years ago when I came to this country from Guatemala, I could have never fathomed the opportunities presented to me in these past four years. Being a CF for three years, traveling the world with Global Fellows and meeting the most distinguished guests are just some of the gifts that this school has given me. Above all, I could have never imagined the incredible relationships I would gain while being here, especially at the paper.
It has been the support of my friends that have created my drive to work for hours on end to do what I love. My best friend Brent deserves specific credit for being the person in my life to challenge me to be better than I am. Yes I know its sappy bromance at its best, but it is this friendship that I hope that every single person at this school finds. It is this type of friendships that make us become the adults that we are meant to become.
My role on the paper has shown me that being a student is not the only goal of coming here. Being a Santa Clara student is about defining the very foundation of who we will be in the future. Getting to work with the most dedicated individuals at this school has been my inspiration for the type of individual I hope to be.
I desperately want to write the countless inside jokes and major list all of the people that have made my photo editorship the best experience, but lets be honest you would all just skip them. So I would like to thank the men and women of The Santa Clara from my four years. I hope you each know how much I have cherished every late night and every argument and laugh that I have shared with you. I do have to say an incredible thank you to the two individuals that have been by my side for my time here at the paper, Ryan Selewicz and Samantha Juda. You two have made my job one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things of my life. Next week will be one of the saddest, yet proudest moments as you two take over the reigns of what you have helped create.
If a picture is a thousand words then a friendship is invaluable, and I have gained more than any person deserves. Thank you Santa Clara. You will always be in my heart, especially Thursdays at the crack of dawn. Just remember, photos are the reason why everyone picks up the paper!
Michael Erkelens is a senior marketing major and photo editor of The Santa Clara.