As I graduate this semester, I thought to express my gratitude for all the folks that have helped me here and, in turn, made my Creighton experience that much more special. If you don’t know me, I’m Ben. I’m an English major graduating in a few short weeks, which means I won’t be a part of this team anymore.

Over the last three semesters, I have had the joy of serving the opinion team as an editor.

Before I began my term as opinion editor, I was assistant opinion editor, working under the tutelage of Grace Clements.

Even before beginning my assistant term, I was a humble sophomore eager to write for the student-run newspaper. After seeing opinion columnist Owen McGrath’s articles on contemporary hip-hop music, I was inspired to write for the opinion section. Subsequently, I contacted the team and asked if I could write. To my surprise, I was welcomed with open arms. Though I was a humble columnist, I relished the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself.

I will admit that my early articles, mostly written from my Kenefick dorm room on the 11th floor, may not have been my best work. Nevertheless, I’m extremely grateful for the mistakes I made as an early writer that only strengthened my subsequent articles.

I began writing opinion articles as a creative outlet; my brain is quite active, and I needed somewhere to put all my thoughts into one place and argue for them while doing so. Accordingly, I’m also able to publish formalized versions of fickle arguments my friends and I might have and state my ground. They’d usually back down.

Throughout my time as editor, I’ve written numerous articles on lifestyle, food, gas stations, minimalism and more. Perhaps my favorite article I authored was my piece criticizing BeReal, the social media app that gained prominence during my early time at Creighton.

I found BeReal’s model and motifs of being an “anti-social media” social media to be misrepresentative of the way users use the app. BeReal is a social media app that allows users to post a daily image within a two-minute window in order to promote online authenticity.

As of writing this article, they have introduced an accountability feature that limits the number of times one can post in a day and have subsequently addressed some of their shortcomings I highlighted.

This article was my first real foray into opinion writing, and a rigorous one at that. I found that BeReal’s model of being an “anti-social media” is untrue and, furthermore, misleading. Without my research into the topic, I would not have been aware of such a glaring problem.

Regardless of the subject matter, I’ve had a great time laying out my arguments and learning the form of a good and bad argument. This first experience in writing opinions bolstered my writing, research and critical thinking skills that I will carry into my personal and professional life.

I would be remiss if I didn’t express my thanks to those who helped me along the way. I am only one man without my fellow staff members, and it takes a team to run this paper. I’d like to give thanks to Editors-in-Chief Liz Jones and Abbie Gallant, Copy Chief Ela Paske, Assistant Opinion Editor Quinn Cote, Photo Editor Nathan Jobalia, Graphics Editor Liz Klein, former Editor-in-Chief Ava Monte and former Opinion Editor Maxwell Schutze. You have all made my college experience much more valuable and brought immense joy to our newsroom.

To say I’m grateful for my time here is an understatement. I will miss each and every one of our editors, staff, writers and the overall camaraderie that a packed Tuesday night newsroom brings.

Fortunately, I’m grateful for our incredible forthcoming team and have faith that the opinion section will be in good hands.