By Matthew Villanueva, Features Editor
Well, after 30 opinion articles, 13 features, three news and one (attempt) for sports, this piece may be the hardest to write.
When I took the job as the opinion editor to start my sophomore year, I had little-to-no clue what it would entail. As an English major, I’ve always loved to write, but I never would have anticipated the amount of Dominos, hours spending time trying to find writers, learning a new writing style, countless hours of arguments across the room as InDesign takes forever to load, two more semesters and an unholy amount of midnight jokes.
First of all, thank you to everyone who has ever written for me, I probably pestered the hell out of you to try to get me 500 words by a random Wednesday when you probably had a test, a paper, another exam and were somehow also donating a kidney at that time, but you all were able to get it in time.
Next to Natalie Forester, my first Editor-in-Chief, thank you for introducing me to the journalistic world and the land of the AP style (and its dumb deduction of the Oxford Comma).
To Mike Hogan, my second EIC, thank you for always playing devil’s advocate when we’re arguing about baseball and your constant insistence that Brizzo is the best corner infield duo in baseball.
To Mike and Natalie, I couldn’t have had anyone better introducing me to the oxford comma-less world, and I am sorry for pressing that button one night.
To my successor in the Opinion section, Max McAuliff, thank you for your constant lively attitude that lights up the room whenever you walked in late with Dunkin in hand. Shoutout to Rich Lee’s class for pairing us together and being the duo of non-journalism majors in the basement of the RC every week.
To my feature’s successor, Kathy Williams, the features section is in good hands. Thank you for your continued persistence learning how to kern.
To Cammie Dutchess, thank you for putting me under your wing as your assignment editor for features. I didn’t ever really think the BV would seem like a home, but the continuation of hours down here has given me refuge from all the other responsibilities college and life have to throw. The BV couldn’t be in better hands (for at least another semester).
Last, but certainly not least, to John Pullano, my captain, role model, best friend, literal lifesaver and everything else under the umbrella, thank you for introducing me to this beautiful wreckage that is the BV. From taking “Pullano 101” and writing for you for your first editorial semester to filling in your seat the subsequent semester to you being my EIC and everything in between, before and after, there is no way I would be writing this right now if it weren’t for you. Thank, and I cannot stress this enough, you. And that is not cap.
To all my fellow editors who I have not mentioned, thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending an egregious amount of Wednesday nights/Thursday mornings by my side.
This will be the 48th article I have written for the BV. I’ve written about esoteric political issues, language, social constructs, obscure indie bands and film, but this one has been the hardest to conclude. Thank you for the dysfunctional family I found in the basement of the Reilly Center.
So, for one last time, in a world where you can do anything, please, be kind.
villanjv18@bonaventure.edu
