Some final thoughts from The Stark Tank  

I never thought the day would finally come, or at least this soon. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write. I’m sitting here at my desk right now writing the final edition of “The Stark Tank,” the weekly column that I’ve written for The Daily Campus since January 2023. It’s a tough task to try to write a conclusion to something that’s been such an important part of my college experience. Writing the words that dance around in my head isn’t always easy, but here goes. 

When I first came to the University of Connecticut in August 2022, a time that seems so far away to me now even though it was less than two years ago, I knew I wanted to get involved at the paper. I remember wandering around the September involvement fair looking for the DC’s table and struggling to find it. I was about to head back to my dorm when I finally found them and put my name on two email lists for the news and opinion sections. Now, I still don’t fully know why I decided to put my name down for opinion, as I absolutely detested the idea of opinion writing at the time. I was a firm believer that opinion writing had no place in the world of journalism and had only written an opinion piece once as an assignment for my high school journalism class. Nevertheless, I figured I might as well go to the opinion meeting that Sunday and see what it was all about. 

That first opinion meeting I went to on Sept. 11, 2022, changed my life. As I sat in the “opinion basement” as we call it, I listened to the opinion editors at the time, Maddie Papcun and Nell Srinath, talk about what the section was all about. I loved the creative freedom and expression the section offered to talk about any topics, which was right up my alley as someone who loves rambling about politics and elections. But what stuck with me most was the prospect of becoming a weekly columnist, where I could curate my own column with a logo and everything. I didn’t bother going to any other section meetings after that, as I walked out of the building with the goal of becoming a weekly columnist by the end of the semester. That goal became a reality by December when my application got approved, which I have the live reaction to on a podcast I co-hosted last year.  

To put it simply, writing this column has not only been one of my greatest accomplishments at UConn, but one of the greatest and most fulfilling experiences of my time on this earth. I’ve used this column to explore a variety of topics that continued to expand as I kept writing, including deep dives into US-Mexico border construction, controversial athletes like Antonio Brown and Aaron Rodgers, of course, taking any opportunity I had to go after my beloved George Santos. I focused on topics that I’m passionate about and that I thought the Storrs community should be discussing more. In the process, I developed a snark-laden writing style packed with tons of jokes and puns that allowed me to express in writing the thoughts that I struggle to articulate out loud. Doing so made every column I wrote unique and non-formulaic like standard newswriting can be at times. Writing this column also forced me to think more critically to come up with original takes filled with clever phrasing and subtleties to really make my readers think. But most importantly, writing this column has given me a sense of identity as I navigate through the trials and tribulations of college life. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t shut up about my column at times, but I can’t help it since I’m so proud of it.  

Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m ending this column even though I love it so much. Well, to be frank, I’m ready to move on. I’m at a point in my writing journey where I’m trying to expand my reach and do as many different types of writing as possible, which I’m not sure I would be able to do while continuing this column. I’ve also found myself increasingly creatively frustrated trying to come up with takes that I’m passionate about and have had difficulty unlocking my creative spark certain weeks. I would be doing a disservice to myself and my readers by continuing to put out content that isn’t my best work, despite getting paid for it anyway. But let me establish something: My time at The Daily Campus is far from over. I’ll still be writing and doing everything I can for this great organization that I love, just in different forms that I’m still trying to figure out.  

To Maddie and Nell, thank you for being great editors who helped me so much with my writing; I would have never become a columnist without you. To anyone who’s ever read my column, thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your day to read the ramblings of a scattershot 20-year-old trying to make some sense in a confusing world. I’m incredibly grateful to have had the platform to write this column and couldn’t imagine who I would be today without this. Thank you for everything, good night and good luck.