My time at NDSU: My final article

After an all-too-quick 3.5 years, my time at NDSU and The Spectrum has come to a close

As the Lead Variety Editor for The Spectrum, it only feels right to stick within the vein of arts and entertainment to open this article. As comedian Kevin Hart once said, “Life is a story. It’s full of chapters. And the beauty of life is that not only do you get to choose how you interpret each chapter, but your interpretation writes the next chapter”.

As a young 18-year-old fresh out of high school from a small town outside of the Twin Cities, leaving the metro area for Fargo was a big change. Entering a new environment was both terrifying and exciting, as I only knew two other people in the area beforehand.

I originally chose NDSU for their stellar architecture program, as that was the one-and-only career and goal in life that I had at the time. However, after a few weeks into my sophomore year of the program, I faced a crippling identity crisis with my future goals and had to develop a fresh perspective of my future and what it holds.

Abandoning the idea of becoming an architect, I looked inward and thought of my skills and passions. With my greatest interest and passion being all-things-music and being naturally skilled at writing, I decided to combine the two and pursue music journalism.

Knowing that I had to do a soft reset on my career experience and portfolio, I quickly became interested in joining The Spectrum to build experience.

Using The Spectrum as an outlet to express my musical passion and build a strong portfolio was one of the best decisions I made here academically. I strongly emphasize that if anyone is interested in having writing experience and wants to write about their passions, a college newspaper is one of the few times in your life that you’ll have true creative freedom.

Despite coming to NDSU solely for a degree in architecture, I can’t help but recommend this school to anyone that is considering attending. Yes, it may have its downfalls here and there. However, it’s a place that I’ve become proud to call my home.

From the staff and campus to the Downtown scene and Fargo itself, along with the friends and memories I’ve made over the last three and a half years, it all made my time up here unforgettable and more than worth it.

I knew that I would meet a lot of people over the next few years. Some of which would stay in my life for only a short period of time, with others becoming lifelong friends that I look forward to seeing years from now.

Interestingly enough, each year has come across as different seasons of one of the best television shows I could have ever written. With people exiting and entering my close circle as every school year goes on, I couldn’t help but take stock of the positive people in my life around me.

Dan, Alex, Erica, Laura, Josie, Chandler, Kylie, Sawyer, Derek, Avery, Joe, Cal, Hope, Lauren, Litzy, Kendra, Kelsey, Megan, Lyv, Eric, Andie, Alyssa, Sophie, 401 and quite literally hundreds of others. To be honest, this article would be pages long if I listed all of you, but you know who you are.

You have made an impact on my life that you will never be able to fully comprehend. If you’re reading this, know that I’m beyond grateful to have met you and cannot thank you all enough for the countless memories that we’ve made in the best chapter of my life to date.

Our lives may be comprised of chapters, with this one being drawn to a close. While I can’t help but get sentimental and emotional over the ending of this one, I have to remind myself that there are even better chapters ahead of me in my lifetime.

My time at NDSU has been the most pivotal moment in my life to date. Leaving my home state for the first time in my life to attend this school was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I’ve experienced moments ranging from euphoria to heartbreak to glee. Looking back, it was all worth it. Truly, I wouldn’t have changed a single second of it.

Thank you so much — Grant Ayers

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