Asst. Feature Editor | Spring 2015; Feature Editor | Fall 2015; Social Media Director | Spring 2016; Digital Editor | Fall 2016

Managing editor Brett Samuels once told the entire staff that everyone is replaceable. It was candid and made a few people uncomfortably shift in their seats. It’s also true. The Daily Orange is so much bigger than me. Its history is pressed into paper and bound in beautiful books in the morgue.

I recently learned that the world’s biggest ball of paint hangs from the ceiling in Alexandria, Indiana. It started with a baseball and one coat of paint. It now weighs more than 2.5 tons and has more than 25,000 layers of paint. That’s The Daily Orange — a giant ball of paint. Every year, amazing staffs come together and leave their permanent and ephemeral paint strokes on the paper. I am so grateful for the layer I was able to add.

We are all replaceable, and we will all be forgotten by staffs in the future. But these are the people that I could never replace, and helped me paint one hell of a layer.

Brett: Were you talking about The Wall? No? That’s OK. I’m positive that would have been a great conversation. Thank you for all of the great conversations. And thank you for being a great editor, friend and mentor. You made my D.O. experience way better than fine.

Mara: You are probably the only reason I continued working at The D.O. after my first semester. You were thoughtful and listened to an overwhelmed freshman. You were an incredible EIC. No one gives you enough credit, but they should.

Justin: I’m an only child, but I imagine you’re what a big brother feels like. You pick me up when I am down and push me to be better. I am jealous of your talents. Thanks for doing that read with me freshman year.

Clare: Open-toed shoes, VNNN, I don’t feel like doing a read (Had to get that out of the way). I can’t imagine a D.O. without you. Thank you for hiring me. I will never be able to repay you.

Chloe: You’re one of the most down-to-earth people I know. I cannot wait to see how you change the design world. Extra cream cheese!

Lara: You always made me feel like my freshman-half-baked opinions mattered. I have worked hard at not yucking anyone’s yum.

Meredith: Thank you for all the Kansas City advice. I will do my best to fill your shoes.

Lizzie Hart: I’m so happy you filled in those nights when I was a freshman. You made me feel welcome. Let’s get a ginger ale soon.

Annie Palmer: I have always admired your wit and humor. Thanks for the laughs.

Alfred: Compliments from you always mattered more to me than almost anyone else.

Jackie: You’ll always be way more than Connor’s girlfriend to me. Not many people remember your hard work and reign as Pulp editor. I always tried to emulate it.

503s: I hate you. I hate you so, so much.

Alison: Thank you for letting me ramble to you. Please write more.

Joe: So happy to have another man in Pulp. Please keep writing incredible features. I am a big fan.

Tomer: *grabs nipple* You are one the most genuine humans I know. If you are ever free from your mysterious other friends, let’s hang out.

Amanda: Are you in Orange Seeds? Grades don’t matter, and neither do stupid boys. You have taken D.O. video to new heights.

Riley: We will always have Hiawatha Lake. Working on my typewriter story was one of my favorite days as Pulp editor. I will see you at Picasso’s next semester.

Sam Fortier: Hopefully some of your work ethic and incredible writing skills rubbed off on me while I was a bad freshman year roommate. Sorry about that.

Moriah Ratner: For someone so quiet, your photos speak volumes.

Delaney: I called you from a now-demolished mall to ask you to switch positions. You always brought a thousand ideas to the table.

Kathryn: Sometimes, sitting in Pulp, I would find a story, and I didn’t have to think hard to know who would write the hell out of it. Thanks for being my go-to writer, and go-to co-feature editor.

Jes, Ally: The J-Train is leaving, but it will always have room for you.

Caroline: Steven is my son. Let’s talk Drake, Kendrick and Marvel soon.

Andy: If I was interviewing you in an “American Idol” style tryout, I would send you to Hollywood.

Emma: We grew up so differently, but are alike in so many ways. You’ve changed my worldview.

Paul: Life is like recruiting. I am glad the Universe recruited us to work on the same team.

Sara Swann: Thank you for being one of my first friends at SU, and for going with me to Destiny USA. Please don’t let any stray cats into the house next semester.

Alex Archambault: I am so glad I hired you without asking MGMT. You brightened every night.

Shuai: The happiest, funniest and most wonderful person I have ever met. I only wish we had more time together. Your goal was to make more friends. You got one in me.

The Alexas: You will be great. Don’t forget to relax. This duck is valid for one Panera run next semester, on me.

Satoshi: I wish I had half the passion you have (and half the fashion sense). You’re one of the hardest workers I know.

Alex Erdekian: My D.O. career would not have been the same without the scornful look you gave me after a perfectly targeted joke. I can’t believe our time in Pulp together is over.

Ben Farr: Best roommate ever. Thank you for your patience and for listening to my late night rants. Let’s hang out soon. You can even run apple cider vinegar through my coffee machine.

Jon: I went to the store and they were all out of Purge Varnish t-shirts. Thank you for answering all of my questions. I wish I was more like you.

Chris: You have an incredible gift for making people feel heard. Thanks for listening to me. Let’s cover a protest together again someday.

Rachel Gilbert: Grandma, it simultaneously feels like a million years and 15 minutes since I sat next to you in Rubin’s class. Two of my biggest accomplishments at The D.O: 1. Convincing you to write a story about Emmys. 2. Convincing you to take over Pulp. I will miss you more than words can describe.

Kiran: It’s easy to be happy when you are in the room. You have an infectious energy, and loving spirit that can’t be replicated. Working with you never felt like work. Don’t go abroad.

Rachel Sandler: There are few people that can put me in my place faster and better than you. I have learned so much from you. Let’s close the Web door and gossip.

Guti: Space cadet, there’s something on your neck. You’re going to change the world, and I am going to proudly say that I knew you. Pasta’s soon?

Michael: You told me once that you often rely on other’s compliments to feel like you’ve done a good job. I can’t compliment you enough. You’re amazingly talented, incredibly funny and a great friend. Let’s eat cupcakes in Georgetown again someday.

Sarah Harwell, Michael Burkard, Chris Kennedy, George Saunders, Jonathon Dee, Terri: Thank you for giving a loud and over-eager undergrad the time of day. I will never be able to repay all of the lessons I have learned from you.

Alexandra: Thank you for early morning breakfasts, typewritten letters, New York City strolls and for being my most trusted reader. Always missing you.

Lydia: I’m sitting here missing The Loop, and you.

Katie: You make me laugh more than anyone ever has. Thankful for David Rubin, butterfly effect and you.

Joey and Nate: I often think about standing on the Link roof with you guys freshman year, and talking about our lives in terms of a TV show. Thanks for letting me guest star, and for being the funniest and smartest people I know.

Chase: You are my best friend at SU. All of my best college memories are connected to our adventures. I cannot wait to travel and, more importantly, spend time with you next semester. You’re often misunderstood by the masses, but you have one of the biggest hearts I know.

Ante, Chip, Conor, Dan, Sean: You’re my best friends. I can’t wait to grow old with you. I love you guys.

Lucy: You’ve made me an infinitely better person. Thank you for being the most loving person I have ever met, and for accepting all of my flaws. Cue City and Colour.

Mr. Francioli: The late nights at The Bennet office paid off. Thanks for being the best teacher I have ever had.

Papa Jim: I’m not in the hospital or in jail, so that’s a win. I miss you every day at school.

Mom and Dad: Everything I am I owe to you. I love you.

Published on May 2, 2017 at 5:39 am

Contact Jacob: jagedets@syr.edu