Some people spend their entire life searching for a seat at a table they never belonged at. A table I thought I didn’t belong at offered me an office instead. (Please read this while listening to “Party 4 u” by Charli XCX — the vibes need to be right. Go ahead and pull it up. I’ll wait.)

In October 2023, I took a class labeled Media Writing II, where we had the opportunity to create magazines in collaboration with The Battalion and Insite Magazine. This class — one that hadn’t been offered since the late 1990s — reappeared again at an opportune time for me and The Battalion. I was looking to launch my career, and The Batt was looking for a way to reintroduce itself on social media. 

Working under Chris Swann and Ishika Samant, two visionaries in photography, taught me that storytelling isn’t just in the words — it’s in every frame, every color, every tiny visual decision that makes someone stop scrolling. They showed me how important design and visuals can be in shaping a narrative and how much thought goes into making something seem effortless. Without them, we wouldn’t just be a different publication on social media — we’d be part of telling a different story entirely.

In March 2024, I was given the opportunity to become the sole social media editor for The Battalion, and the rest is history. From reaching over 10,000 followers on Instagram to posting crucial information on some of the biggest events of the year, this year has been monumental for The Battalion, and I am grateful to have been behind the Canva designs curating our history as a publication online. 

Now that we’re done with the cover letter portion of this, it’s time to talk about what makes a century-old publication still run like a bat out of hell: the people.

Many of the best and worst moments of my life have taken place in the newsroom. If I wasn’t there, I would receive a text saying “meet me in the office,” “we’re in the office,” “when will you be in the office,” “be at the office in five” or “have you told the office yet?” 

I didn’t think my safe place at Texas A&M would be a windowless liminal space in the basement of the Memorial Student Center that was 15 feet from a bathroom and less than 200 feet from a Panda Express (I’m not sure the smell of orange chicken and sound of flushing will ever leave my brain). These beige walls plastered with the history of Aggieland became the place where my story would unfold, thanks to the amazing people in it. 

For some reason, there were 20 other people who had nothing better to do on a Wednesday night in College Station than go into L400 and create a newspaper — one we hoped people would read and not in turn use to make their PERF 156 final project garment, but hey, whatever gets you to pick up the paper.

There were so many amazing memories created in that office. I am even more grateful that while there was havoc during headline party I was able to seek asylum in the multimedia office. 

We created many firsts in that office. We created the first lifestyle podcast for The Batt, the first multimedia video package and this staff’s first Editor Night Out. Even when I was not in the office, the vacancy sign was never on. It became the room where people did Zoom therapy, studied for SPAN 302, filled out their first real job application and, for some, received the phone call of a lifetime. 

At the weekly Editor Nights Out that were introduced by yours truly, we became more than co-editors working on a newspaper — we became people to lean on, trusted confidants and even best friends. We’d play Jackbox until we couldn’t stand how hard we were laughing, we’d play an absurd version of go-fish that Ian Curtis and I created on the first Editor Night Out and we may have indulged in our fair share of beverages. Each ENO brought us closer together, and I wish there was more time for us to run it back. I am so happy that I found a place to call home for the latter part of my time at A&M. 

The Battalion has changed my life in more ways than I will ever truly admit. Before I joined I had a set plan. That plan did not involve applying for a job in policy and moving thousands of miles away to a city where I knew nobody, all to begin the journey of my dream career, or working in politics after law school. 

No matter where the 2024-25 Battalion Editorial Staff ends up in this world (which is pretty much all over the place, because this is the most talented group of people I have ever worked with), we will always have L400. I have no doubt that some of these people will be my bridesmaids one day — I know because I texted Ian Curtis he’d be one after the first night at this year’s TIPA conference. 

There are some special thank-yous I would like to make while I have your attention. I am usually limited to 280 characters, so getting to write all my thoughts out is pretty cool. 

Kynlee Bright: Thank you for being the best little sister I could ask for. I am so incredibly proud of you and the human you are becoming. 

Theresa Lozano: I don’t think I could leave my baby in better hands than yours. Your work ethic and passion for journalism is one I hope people strive for. Thank you, my beautiful friend.

Ian Curtis: Cheers to Ian and Friends. In your own way, you have reminded me what true friendship looks like. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, I will always have an energy drink for you, my friend. 

Chris Swann: To the man that I shared more than a job title with, I love you. Thank you for being my rock and work husband. No one will ever replace you and I hope I never lose communication with the guy who made me believe I could be friends with men again. 

Isa Garcia and Charis Adkins: Muah. Muah. Muah. I do not know what life will look like without you two in it constantly, but you two will never not be my favorite pairing who challenged me this year. 

Ariana Morganti: Thank you for being you. You will forever be the friend I never knew I needed. 

Angelina Leal: Thank you for letting me be your lame friend in the student newspaper and yearbook in highschool. Because of it, your name is now in a newspaper!

Thank you to my parents and my siblings for their support. From a radio show at midnight to making burner accounts to get The Battalion to 10,000 before I graduated, your dedication was never ending. I hope I made y’all as proud of me as I am to call you my family.

For Alli Baker and Kaci Williams, get ready. I’m heading to Dallas!

What I learned: Don’t plan too much. Sometimes the best things that happen in your life are the ones that were unplanned. If I had a nickel for every time The Batt changed the course of my life or took a year off of it, I could probably buy the sports desk a functioning computer.

This is Sophie Villarreal, social media editor for the last time, over and out.