Four years ago, if you asked me what I wanted to do with my life in terms of career, I would have told you I was lost, confused, and nervous.

I had a few things in mind: history, architecture, English education were among the list. But I always had such a passion for journalism. It just did it for me.

Then my roommate, Shane Ostroski, came to me spring semester of freshman year. He was the lone member of the sports department at The Wood Word. He needed help. At that point, I declared English as my major and I figured this would be a way to improve upon my writing skills, along with connecting to other people. And thus, it began.

After my first few interviews, I was in love with this occupation. However, I didn’t just want to report on the news and tell some plain Jane story with the basic who, what, where, when, why, and/or how. I wanted to touch my reader’s heart in some way, writing stories that meant something to them. Mitch Albom’s writings were the way I would model my writing. His works aimed to touch the human heart in some way, shape, or form. Every story I wrote, I aimed for that same goal.

So, to my colleagues at The Wood Word: Thank you for a fun and exciting four years working in journalism. Keep up the good work and continue the passion you have for journalism. You all will be successful in your careers if you all aim for top.

To Ann Williams and Dr. Wotanis: Keep up the hard work and dedication that you two bring to this paper. It has become something great. You two give more than just blood, sweat, and tears to make this paper perfect. I am proud to call you my advisers for this paper. It was more than just an extra-curricular activity; it was family, and you two were the foundation to every ounce of passion brought to the table. Soon and very soon, The Wood Word will be recognized as one of the most prestigious college newspapers in the state of Pennsylvania. You got this!

To Shane: Buddy, we did it. And most importantly, we did it together as a team. From Loughran to Regina to Apartment 12, our rooms, turned “offices” have seen restless nights trying to perfect this section with stories memorable four our readers. Thanks for the great ride.

To Erica Nealon: You have inherited a section that Shane and I have turned into something special at this institution. Your passion for sports and journalism will carry you for the next three years. I have all my faith in you.

To the athletics department: I cannot thank you all enough, especially Dr. Gunning, Andrew Smith, and Peter Schmidt for all of the feedback and assistance you have displayed through my tenure here.

To the communications department: This paper is on the rise to greatness. Keep funding and supporting young journalists like us students through this paper. Again, your patience and trust in just Shane and I to run a single section shows that you believed in us and I hope I lived up to your expectations.

To the people I have interviewed: Thank you for your patience with me. College is about making mistakes, yet you all improved my skills in this field conducting a successful interview, and I have you all to thank while I try to improve in my quest to be a television reporter. Thank you.

And finally, to my reader: Thank you for taking the time out of your hectic lives to sit and read my pieces every issue. You are what keeps this field going and what makes my job worthwhile. It is about you. I hope at one point I touched your heart in some way. Thank you for fueling my journalism fire. You are my rocks.

And to my family: Even if my stories weren’t so great, you still gave me the support and that’s what kept me going all four years. Love you all.

No matter what the future has for me I have The Wood Word to thank for making my college career worth something. To that, thank you and God Bless.

Signing off,

Dave Scarnato, The Wood Word Sports