“Why not?”

I didn’t place much stock into my decision to apply to The Battalion shortly into my freshman year in Sept. 2021.

I had written for my high school’s student newspaper for four years and knew I wanted to get into the field of sports media, so joining the then-128-year-old publication felt like the right decision. If nothing else, I saw it as a way to get involved as a fish in a sea of 70,000 students.

Looking back, I would have never guessed that a simple paper application would lead to a lifetime of memories, experiences and friendships. Over 1,100 days later and with a week to go until graduation, I can confidently say that writing at The Battalion has been a pinnacle of my time at Texas A&M.

Progressing on the sports desk from starting as a writer to serving as a sports editor has afforded me the opportunities of a lifetime, whether it’s covering football games at a sold-out Kyle Field, journaling A&M softball’s epic 2024 Super Regional series against Texas in Austin or wrapping up a story in the Minute Maid Park press box past 2 a.m.

I’m going to miss the Arlington Waffle House trips that became tradition after covering the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium or baseball at Globe Life Field. Traveling to Atlanta for the ACP Fall National College Media Convention in 2023 was unforgettable. I never thought my first field storming would come at a Georgia Tech football game.

My time on the sports desk has featured the retirement of a Hall of Fame basketball coach and the sudden departure of a baseball coach in A&M fans’ Hall of Shame. Within the span of a couple weeks last fall, we saw Jimbo Fisher fired and Mike Elko hired as the Aggies’ football coach. And I’m still not sure what happened with Mark Stoops.

Yet among all the experiences I’ve forged at The Battalion, the ones I’ll value the most are the most simple.

Tuesday and Thursday trips to the Batt Cave for web production. Working print production deep into Thursday morning. Sports desk meetings with icebreakers covering every topic under the sun, not that we get any in MSC L400.

It’s the people that make The Battalion so special, and I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by an all-star crew for four years.

Ryan Faulkner, Casey Stavenhagen and Jenny Streeter set a standard of excellence that I’ve strived to reach every day. As my first editors, they filled me with a desire to see The Battalion sports desk become the best it could be.

Zoe May, Grant Gaspard, Hunter Mitchell, Kylie Stoner, Braxton Dore’ and Matthew Seaver have been rock stars as co-editors. I can’t do this alone, and their support has helped us achieve great things. I’m thankful for the hard work of each writer I’ve worked alongside that has contributed to our comprehensive coverage of A&M athletics.

The Battalion has given me some of my closest friends in Aggieland and allowed me to foster relationships that I’ll carry with me long after I’m out of here. Beyond the experience I’ve gained and the opportunities I’ve received, I’ll appreciate the friendships the most. There’s too many to list here, so to all: thank you.

Finally, thank you to you, the reader, for making our efforts worthwhile. I know my time at The Battalion was well spent because it’s so hard to say goodbye.

Luke White is a telecommunication media studies senior and sports editor for The Battalion.